Supporting students
Attendance
Attendance VISION
Horizon Community College is dedicated to ensuring that all our students are school ready; work ready; life ready.
We strongly believe that consistent attendance is crucial to the well-being and success of our students. High attendance not only supports academic achievement but also plays a key role in safeguarding our children.
We actively monitor student attendance and quickly identify any concerns. When issues arise, we implement early intervention strategies to address them promptly. We recognize that absences can sometimes signal challenges at school or at home, and we take immediate action to minimize any negative impact on learning.
Regular attendance is directly linked to academic progress. Students are expected to attend school for 190 days each year. Missing school days can hinder their education and limit their potential achievements.
Our aim is for every student at Horizon Community College to reach 100% attendance, helping them to achieve their full potential.
MEET THE TEAM
Miss Khan
Associate Assistant Principal – Attendance
Mrs Morley
Senior Attendance Officer (Year 7)
Miss Tonks
Attendance Officer (Year 10, Year 11)
Miss Sherriff
Attendance Officer (Year 8, Year 9)
School Team - Attendance Leads
Mr Middleton
Assistant Principal – Parent Partnership
Mrs Hirst
Attendance PP Lead /Upper school (Year 9 / Year 10 / Year 11 Attendance Lead
Guidance
Attendance
Attendance on a school day is compulsory. If you are not in school then you must have a justifiable reason for absence. Parents/Carers should inform the school absence line on the first day of absence via telephone and every day there after.
If your child is going to be absent for an appointment we would ask that proof of the appointment is brought into school well in advance (whenever possible). However, we would prefer that all appointments are made outside of the child’s timetable.
Parents are requested not to arrange family holidays during term time. Requests for leave of absence should be submitted on a leave of absence form that is available within school on request and should be completed well in advance.
Punctuality To College
Punctuality is an important part of self-discipline and is essential to good time management.
If you arrive late to college, you must sign in at the student reception desk, you will be marked late, every 5 times that you are late to college you will be issued with a 30-minute after-school detention.
If you arrive over an hour late for college, you shall be given a significantly late detention which has duration of 1hr, this will be recorded as a U code and affects your attendance.
Punctuality To Lessons
Punctuality to lessons is essential for academic progress, minutes missed in a lesson result in missed learning.
Students who are late to lesson, without a valid reason, will be awarded a Late (L) mark for that period.
Each time a student reaches 2 Lates to lesson this will result in a 30-minute late detention.
Leave of Absence in Term Time
- The Anti-Social Behaviour Act (2003) provides the Local Authority, Schools and Academies the power to issue penalty notice fines for unauthorised leave of absence in term time.
- No parent can demand leave of absence as a right.
- Any request for leave of absence must be made in advance.
- The request for leave of absence should be made by the parent /carer “with whom the child normally resides”. If this is the parent /carer who is not taking the child out of school / academy, the full name and address of the parent /carer who is taking the child out of school/academy must be provided on the form.
- There is no requirement to authorise just because a request has been made. The amendments under The Education (Pupil Registration) ( England) Regulations 2006 make it clear that head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances*. *See Code of Conduct /Guidance relating to Leave of Absence
- The circumstances of each individual request for leave of absence will be taken into account on a case by case basis.
- The decision to approve / not approve the request is for the school / academy, not the Authority or the parent. Only schools/ academies can authorise / not authorise absence.
- If important work has been missed by the pupil due to the parents making a request for leave of absence the parents should not expect special arrangements to be made by the school/ academy for that pupil to catch up that work.
If you go ahead with the leave of absence when unauthorised, you may receive a Penalty Notice issued by the Local Authority. This penalty will be £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21days; payment after this time but within 28 days is £160 for the first offence.
Failure to pay a fixed Penalty Notice will render you liable to criminal proceedings in the Magistrates Court under Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996.
If you need to request a leave of absence please fill in the form and e-mail to attendance@horizoncc.co.uk
REWARDS
Driving lesson
During the month of December, we rewarded Year 11 students who achieved 100% attendance with a selection box and they were also entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a Young Drivers driving lesson! 25 lucky students were randomly selected for this exciting opportunity and on Tuesday, February 4th, these students enjoyed a 20-minute driving lesson with the Young Driver team. The experience was incredibly positive, as they learned new skills behind the wheel and gained valuable life experience that will benefit them in the future. The students had a great time, and the event was a memorable highlight of their school year.
Attendance reward Chart
Every week you have 100% attendance your form tutor will give you a sticker to add to your reward chart. Every time you collect 5 stickers you win a prize; prizes can be collected on a Tuesday and Wednesday breaktime in the heart space.
Attendance Pin Badge Winners
Well done to the Y7 students who achieved 100% in term 1, they have been awarded with a bronze attendance pin badge to wear on their blazer with pride. Students will also have the chance to be awarded with silver and gold attendance pin badges as the academic year continues.
9 Days of Christmas
Horizon 100%
Congratulations to all the students who have managed to achieve 100% attendance last academic year. Well done to all the students that have achieved this, we are super proud of you. These students were rewarded with a special attendance prize box.
Frequently asked questions
Your child must be in school to secure a present mark, even if an absence is authorised it will still affect your child’s attendance
Absence in which evidence has been provided, even though the absence is authorised this will affect your child’s attendance
Contact the school each morning with the reason for absence or provide a note from the GP with the days of absence
Your child has arrived over an hour late to college without a reason, this is classed as an absence and will affect your child’s attendance.
Form period is part of the school day and therefore it is compulsory.
The school’s target for each student is 100%.
Any child who has less than 90% attendance to college is classed as persistently absence.
This would be an unauthorised absence and a member of staff may visit your home address to complete a safe and well check.
Messages are sent for either of the following reasons:
Your child has not arrived to college
Your child has not registered for their allocated provision.
No holiday requests during term time will be authorised, therefore if you choose to do so you may be liable for a fixed penalty notice.
