Why is Attendance So Important?
High levels of attendance give students the best possible opportunity to maximise their examination grade outcomes. The more a student is present in college, the more likely it is that they will achieve their learning potential, minimise any gaps in their learning and set a precedent for future employment habits.
Making an Absence Request
The college is not able to authorise any requests for absence relating to holidays in term time following an amendment to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006.
If a student is going to be absent for non-medical reasons, parents/carers must complete a S2 form.
Schools are only allowed by law to authorise non-medical absences if requested in advance by a parent with whom the pupil normally resides. A school can only authorise such a request if they are satisfied that there are “exceptional circumstances” which apply. However, even if there are exceptional circumstances, schools can still consider any other relevant factors such as previous attendance rates; the ability of the pupil to catch-up on missed work; the wider impact of missing the specified period of time.
The college has to be extremely cautious about approving such requests if the pupil’s education is likely to be significantly impacted upon.
Parents should ensure that they know whether the absence will be authorised or not before they go away as an unauthorised absence will likely result in a penalty notice or court summons being issued to each parent for each pupil affected. It is therefore recommended that this completed form is sent into the school at least three school weeks before the intended absence.
Medical and other appointments should be made for after college hours. If this is not possible, students are only allowed to be out for the time needed and not for an entire college day.
Please view the S2 form at the bottom of this page.
What if my Child is ill?
If a student is unable to attend college due to illness, parents/carers are required to notify the college before 8.20am.
Parents can inform the college of absence in two ways:
Call the college on 01626 367335 selecting option 1 to report an absence for students in Years 7-11 or option 4 to report an absence for a student in Years 12-13
or send a message using attendance@nacollege.devon.sch.uk
Please provide student's full name, year and registration group, and reason for absence.
If a student is unable to attend college for more than one day, parents/carers are required to call in at the beginning of each day of absence until the student is well enough to return.
How Does The college Support and Encourage Attendance?
Registers are taken at the start of every lesson to ensure that any attendance discrepancies are identified and resolved.
If a student is marked absent without parental notification, an automated message will be sent to the primary contact, requiring them to contact the college to give an explanation. Any further unexplained absences will be followed up with a telephone call home.
Weekly attendance reports are sent to tutors highlighting attendance brackets (97% or above is considered ‘green’, between 94-97% is considered ‘amber’ and below 93% is considered ‘red’) to encourage discussion with students regarding their attendance and focus on solutions to improve where necessary.
We work closely with our Education Welfare Officer to identify any attendance concerns or attendance patterns, which will then be discussed with parents/carers.
How can I discuss any issues or concerns I have with my child's attendance?
Please contact the Attendance Team by telephone on 01626 367 335 or by email to attendance@nacollege.devon.sch.uk to discuss any issues or concerns you may have.
Attendance Policy
Our Attendance Policy can be found on our policies page by clicking here
Ofsted 2024
“Attendance is a school and trust priority. Leaders communicate their high expectations for attendance with pupils and families. The school now closely tracks the attendance of all pupils. This ensures that there is now more timely and appropriate support put in place than previously. This has resulted in some improvements in attendance and a reduction in persistent absence.”
