Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow: Our Commitment to Attendance and Punctuality

At Upton-by-Chester High School, we firmly believe that excellent attendance is the cornerstone of academic success and personal development. Regular school attendance directly correlates with higher achievement and better preparation for future opportunities. We also understand that low attendance can sometimes signal underlying challenges, and we are committed to working with families to address these.

Our Expectations

Legal Requirement: All learners are legally required to attend school.

Our Goal: We expect all Upton-by-Chester High School learners to strive for 100% attendance.

Punctuality is Key:

• Arrival Time: Learners should arrive at school, fully prepared and ready to learn, by 8.35 a.m.
• Registration: Registration begins promptly at 8.40 a.m.
• Late Arrivals (8.40 a.m. - 8.50 a.m.): Learners arriving via the 'late gate' during this window will receive a late referral at break time on the same day in B8.
• U Codes: Learners arriving after the registers have closed at 9.15 a.m. will receive a 30 minute after school Centralised referral. Parents/ carers will be emailed.
• Persistent Lateness: Consistent lateness will be addressed directly by the Head of Year.

Reporting Absence

Parental Responsibility: Parents/carers are required to contact the school in the event of any absence.

Absence Due to Illness:

• Please contact the school by 8.30 a.m. on each day of absence.
• Phone: (01244) 259800
• Email: admin@uptonhigh.co.uk

Medical Appointments:

• Non-urgent appointments should be scheduled outside of school hours whenever possible.
• If an appointment during school hours is unavoidable, please try to arrange it to coincide with a lesson changeover to minimise disruption to learning.
• Minor medical appointments do not warrant a full day of absence. Learners are expected to attend school before and/or after their appointment where feasible.
• Please provide dental or medical appointment letters as proof, when possible.

Other Absence (Unauthorised):

• Absence during term time for reasons other than illness or injury will not be authorised unless there are truly exceptional circumstances.
• Penalty Notices may be issued for poor attendance and unauthorised holiday absence.
• Please remember that learners have 12 weeks of half-term and end-of-term breaks, plus an additional 5 INSET days, when school attendance is not required.
• Term-time absence should be reserved solely for illness or injury.

Support for Families

We understand that circumstances can impact attendance. Our Attendance Officer and your child’s Pastoral Support Manager are always available to discuss any issues affecting your son or daughter’s attendance and provide support.

Further Information

For a comprehensive guide and the ‘Application for Leave’ form, please refer to the link below:

Application for Leave Form

Monitoring and Support for Attendance

We actively monitor learner attendance to ensure every learner has the best chance to succeed.

• Absence Monitoring: If a learner has three or more periods of absence, our attendance team will closely monitor their attendance. Should these absences continue, we may request medical evidence to help ensure they maintain high attendance.
• Our Attendance Goal: We expect all learners to achieve attendance within the 'green groups'. Learners whose attendance falls into other groups, or is below 97%, are at a serious risk of underachievement.
• Keeping You Informed: We'll update parents and carers with their child's attendance percentage every half term. This helps us identify and address any potential concerns as early as possible.
• Persistent Absence (Below 90%): The government defines attendance below 90% as persistently absent. If our school interventions don't lead to a sustained improvement for persistently absent learners, we may issue a Fixed Penalty Notice. These notices can be issued for cases of poor attendance.

Top Attendance Tips for Parents and Learners

We believe that establishing good habits at home significantly contributes to consistent school attendance. Here's how you can help:

• Be Prepared: Encourage your child to pack their school bag the night before with all necessary equipment. Check that homework is completed and ensure their uniform is ready for the next day.
• Prioritise Rest: Monitor and restrict your child’s access to social media, phones, and tablets. These devices should be switched off at least an hour before bedtime. Maintain regular, reasonable bedtimes to ensure your child receives a good night's sleep.
• Stay Informed and Communicate: Be aware of your child’s timetable and look for any signs of reluctance to attend on specific days. If you have any concerns or questions, contact the Attendance Office straight away.
• Promote Health and Well-being: Encourage healthy habits to minimise illness. Make sure learners have breakfast before school. Please note, energy drinks or fizzy drinks are not permitted in school and will be confiscated if brought in. We appreciate your support in encouraging healthy choices. Remind your child to drink water and hydrate throughout the school day, and to wash their hands often, especially before eating and after using the toilet. Getting some fresh air, perhaps by taking a walk in their year zone during lunchtime, especially in the summer term, can also help.

Our Joint Responsibility

Equipping our young people with the life skills they need to thrive at school and cope with the expectations of future education and life beyond is a joint responsibility. This includes parents, carers, teachers, support staff, and the wider community. Your support and encouragement in adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle will help build both physical and emotional strength and resilience as our learners move through their years at Upton-by-Chester High School.

The diagram below illustrates the number of lessons missed over the year based on different attendance percentages:

The school attendance policy can be found here: Attendance and Punctuality Policy