Attendance and Transport

Attendance

Please contact the school if your child is absent on each day of absence. Parents/carers must notify the school before 9.30am if their child is not attending school (contact number 01952 387600). School will follow up un-notified absences.

If your child needs to be absent for part of the school day, for example for a medical appointment, they will need to be signed out and in at the school office.  It is helpful to give school advance notice where possible so that staff do not follow up as with an unexplained absence.

Wherever possible, routine medical and dental appointments should be made outside of school hours.

If a child is absent for a week without notification to the school, the Education Welfare Officer will be asked to make a home visit.

In the event of contagious illnesses such as Norovirus or ‘flu, your child may need to remain away from school for a time after symptoms appear to have gone.  Please check with us before sending your child back in.

We will never allow your child to leave school during school time unless you or a person named by you collects him or her.  Parents are asked to try to make medical and dental appointments after school hours or in school holidays.

Parents should apply to the Headteacher for any request for leave in term time by completing a request form available from school.  (DfE guidance states schools should not authorise leave retrospectively).

The Government has renewed appeals to parents not to take their children out of school during term time.  The Governors and Headteacher of the school support this and have decided that students will only be given permission to take leave in term time if there are exceptional circumstances.  Each application will be considered and the Headteacher will determine the duration of any leave if it is agreed and authorised. However, if the application is not agreed and the absence occurs the dates will be unauthorised. Parents will be notified of any decision in writing. This notification may be hand delivered directly to the parent or posted to the parents’ home address.

As a school we are asked to inform you that, in line with Telford and Wrekin Council Policy, unauthorised absence may be subject to a penalty notice fine of £60 payable per parent, per child, increasing to £120 each if not paid within 21 days.  If this fine is not paid within 28 days this may lead to court proceedings.

Update from Telford & Wrekin on leave in term time

Further information on leave during term time

Transport

The majority of our students use transport provided by Telford and Wrekin.  You will be given a transport request form when your child is offered a place at school. If you have any queries about transport, you can contact the Transport offices directly on 01952 384620.

Secondary aged pupils are entitled to home to school transport if they live three or more miles from Southall.

Transport may be provided for pupils who live nearer than the above distances if they have specific transport needs relating to physical disabilities or significant learning and/or emotional difficulties.  Written professional evidence will be required to support such a request (see Telford & Wrekin Council Education Transport Policy).

It is a useful lifelong skill to be able to travel independently and the school will offer to work with our older students to support this by teaching them how to use public transport. This will only be done as appropriate and with the agreement of parents.

If you bring your child to school by car, we ask that you drop your child off outside the school gates at the top of the drive, to avoid congestion with the taxis and minibuses.  You are welcome to walk down the drive with your child and to meet them at the school entrance at the end of the day to walk back up.