The School Day

	Drop off	Pick up
Gates open	8.30 (Classroom doors open 8.40)	3.00
Gates Close	8.45	3.10

Attendance

The Hermitage and The Oaktree schools have been working really hard to ensure that children attend school for all the days available.  Unfortunately our level of absence is still higher than we would wish for both schools.  We are very concerned that children are missing school and are therefore missing valuable learning time. 

All data related to attendance figures from our own schools, schools in general and the government analysis, tells us just one thing. This is that children with good attendance achieve more in school and make better progress than children who miss school on a frequent basis. 

In our policy The Hermitage School and The Oaktree School will not authorise any leave of absence for holidays or similar activities during term time. Obviously we recognise that there are sometimes exceptional circumstances that require parents/carers to take their child/ren out of school for short periods. An application form for leave of absence in exceptional circumstances needs to be completed to obtain authorisation from the Headteacher. It is at the discretion of the Headteacher to authorise any absences from school. If you have children at both The Hermitage School and The Oaktree School please indicate on the Leave of Absence form to enable both schools to liaise.  The following statistics may help you to understand why we become concerned when attendance has fallen below a certain level.

365 Days in the Year

175 Non School Days A Year   Time to spend on shopping, appointments and family holidays 

190 days in a school year for your child's education 100% Good Attendance

180 Days of Education 10 days absence  95% Good Attendance

171 Days of Education  19 days of absence  90% Area of Concern

161 Days of Education  29 days absence 1/2 Term  85% Area of Concern

152 Days of Education   38 days absence 80% Poor Attendance

143 or less Days of Education  47 days or more absence  75% Poor Attendance

When we have concerns about absence we will arrange a meeting with parents/carers and put in place a support plan to improve attendance.  Where attendance issues cannot be resolved it may be necessary to involve the Education Welfare Officer for support.  If we cannot resolve the attendance issues the Local Education Authority may decide to take legal action, and issue a Penalty Notice. Details of the Penalty Notice are detailed below. 

On a similar note, if your child is continually late for school their education may be affected, and that of other children. We urge all parents/carers to make every effort to get their child to school on time. Registers close at The Hermitage at 8.45am and The Oaktree at 9.00am.  Any child arriving at school after this time should be taken to the School Office and the parent/carer must sign in the late book to ensure their presence on site is noted, particularly in case of a fire drill. If your child arrives after 9.30am they will be marked as an unauthorised absence.  If your child is absent from school all absence should be reported to the school office 

Please click here for school term dates including holidays

Please click here to view our complete attendance policy, which can also be found in Key Information.

Thank You