Priestlands School
Reporting student absence
Please use our dedicated telephone number or email address to inform us if your child will not be school.
01590 613440 attendance@priestlands.hants.sch.uk
Out of office hours this will go to an answerphone; after the beep, please tell us the following information:
- Your name
- The name of the student who will be absent or late;
- Their year and tutor group; and
- The reason for absence.
Parents should contact the school EVERY DAY that their child is absent from school. If this is not done then a text will be sent informing parents of their absence.
Thank you.
Working together to improve attendance
Department for Education and Skills
Holidays during Term Time and Other Leave of Absence
Parents will already be aware of the law relating to family holidays taken in term-time. (see The Department for Education website).
The law makes it clear that parents must avoid taking holidays in term time because absence from school can seriously impact on student learning. Whilst there may be occasions when a student is unable to attend school (e.g. illness), all other absences should therefore be kept to a minimum and if at all possible avoided.
The regulations make it clear that parents do not have the right or an entitlement to take a child out of school for the purposes of a family holiday during term time and that the Headteacher is not able routinely to authorise holidays in term time for any student.
Regulations do, however, permit a Headteacher to agree to a request from a parent for a student to be granted “leave of absence”. Leave of absence may be granted in special or exceptional circumstances only.
For more information, please see below.