Our Approach to Attendance
Ensuring students attend every day is vital for their education. Highfields College specializes in supporting students with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, many of whom have a history of poor attendance. We understand this can be a difficult, long-standing issue for families.
Our dedicated Access, Family Support & Outreach staff works closely with families to improve attendance by:
- Accurately recording attendance in line with regulations.
- Listening to parents/carers to understand why a child is not attending.
- Providing intensive support for students with very low attendance, including those facing a family crisis or a long-term dispute with the Local Authority.
- Promoting the link between good attendance, quality education, and student safety.
- Rewarding students for regular attendance and significant improvement.
- Viewing improved attendance as an ongoing process.
Procedures
Parents must report absences by 9:00 am by calling 0161 406 7922. Unreported absences will be unauthorized and may lead to further action. Holidays during term time are only permitted in exceptional circumstances and require a written request to the headteacher. Parents can use EduLink to monitor their child’s attendance.
Action on Attendance
Our Access, Family Support & Outreach staff monitor attendance daily and will take action if a student is absent without notification. This includes contacting parents and agencies, and if the child’s whereabouts are unknown, escalating to a home visit.
We follow a staged response plan to attendance as shown below:
Repeated non-attendance, even with support, may be escalated to the Local Authority and could result in legal action. Our priority is always to work with families to encourage and support regular school attendance.
The above information is a summary of our Attendance Policy. If you have any further questions about attendance management at Highfields College, please do not hesitate to get in touch.