Please find below parental guides of our expectations in relation to your child’s attendance during their time at Henry Cort Community College.  There is a growing body of research confirming the link between attendance and academic achievement and we strive as a college to encourage all students to maintain high levels of attendance every year.  Even missing a few days can make life difficult for your child to catch up with work missed during lessons, leading to gaps in their understanding and knowledge when it comes to assessment.

As parents, there are many ways in which you can help to support this process;

• Talk to your child about the importance of attending.  They have their own version of the attached guidelines in their student planners.
• Do not take term time holidays.  We follow Hampshire County Council legal guidelines closely when it comes to issuing Fixed Penalty Notices for holidays taken during the college term. In line with Hampshire County Council guidelines, Fixed Penalty Notices are also issued where students miss public examinations without medical evidence. (See attached HCC guidance leaflet)
• Unless there is an emergency, please ensure that all medical and dental appointments are made outside of the normal college day.
• Encourage your child to attend even if they say that they are not feeling 100%.  If they present as unwell during the day, our First Aider will contact you. (See attached NHS guidance document)
• If your child is genuinely unwell, please contact the college to inform us of the absence.  We operate a first day absence call and will be trying to get hold of you if your child is absent from college without reason.  (Please note that if your child’s attendance falls below 90%, we will require medical evidence for any further absences, they cannot be authorised without this).
• It is important to note that being late to college on a regular basis also counts towards your child’s attendance figures and can also lead to legal action.  Please ensure that your child is in college by 8.20am each day. If you child travels on one of the college buses and this service is delayed, this will not count against them.

Please ensure that all contact details are kept updated throughout the year, every student must have a minimum of two emergency contacts.  If we have not received notification of an absence and are then unable to make contact with you ourselves, this could trigger safeguarding procedures.

If you have any concerns regarding attendance or would like help in supporting your child to attend college, please contact your child’s tutor in the first instance.