Reporting Absence
Absence
If your child is unable to attend school due to illness or any other reason, please let us know in one of the following ways:
- Email Mrs Bishop, Attendance Officer, at absence@stags.aetrust.uk
- Call the school absence line on 01727 853134, Option 1
- Use Edulink to report the absence
If you are unable to use any of these services, please contact your child's Director of Learning who will discuss an alternative.
Please leave a message including your child's full name, form, the nature of their illness and/or the reason for their absence. Only a parent or carer can verify absence and contact needs to be made on each day of absence. You must inform the school of your child's absence by 9am. Parents/Carers will receive a reminder by 10am if we have not heard from a parent/carer. Unauthorised absences will be actioned by our Attendance Officer and may instigate our safeguarding protocols (please do not email admin@stags.herts.sch.uk for any absence related messages as this may lead to your message not reaching our Attendance Officer and an unauthorised absence mark recorded for your child and a text being sent to you).
If your child is absent without a reason, then an email will be sent to all primary parent/carers. If you receive an email, and you believe your child is in school, then please call our Attendance Officer immediately. It is a students' responsibility to catch up any work missed due to absence and work cannot be sent home by class teachers to cover absence.
If you are unsure if your child is too unwell to attend school guidance can be found here.
COVID 19 – The current Government guidelines and advice regarding Covid 19 can be found here.
Medical Appointments
If you know in advance that your child has an urgent appointment that cannot be taken out of school hours, they will still be required to be in school both before and after the appointment where possible. Please let us know via email to absence@stags.aetrust.uk. Examples of such circumstances are medical appointments, dentist or doctors.
Leave of absence during term time
If you wish your child to be absent for exceptional circumstances, such as university visits, driving tests, music exams or funeral of a relative please complete and return the 'Request for Authorised Absence' form attached below to request@stags.herts.sch.uk. Please note that we cannot grant permission for holidays (whatever the reason) in term time.
Government guidelines do not permit Headteachers to give authorisation for holidays during term time, even if this includes travel for a special occasion.
Headteachers do not have the discretion to allow time for a family holiday or to agree to extended leave for parents/carers to visit their country of origin during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Taking children out of school during term time means they would be losing valuable school time at the expense of their education. If your child is absent from school because of a holiday, which has not been agreed, then this will be classified as an unauthorised absence and you may be fined or legal action taken against you.
If a child is absent from school and has 10 sessions (1/2 day = 1 session) of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks, then the school is obliged to apply to the local authority for the issue of a Fixed Penalty Notice fine.
If you feel that the circumstances for an absence is exceptional then an application must be made to school, prior to any arrangements being made. School will then decide whether or not the absence can be authorised. To request such an absence, please download the request of Absence Form and once completed email it to request@stags.herts.sch.uk
Further information regarding unauthorised absences and the new guidance from the DfE regarding penalty notices can be found below: