If you know your child is going to be absent from school due to illness, medical appointments or for any other reason, please contact the school on the first day of absence.
This can be done by calling 020 8554 3608 and choosing option "1" if your child is in Year 7 to 11 or by pressing option "2" to report a Sixth Form absence.
If the school does not receive a phone call from the parent or carer, a call will be made home from the school.
- Written notification of the absence period and the reason for this from the parent/guardian is required on the first day of the pupil’s return.
- Medical appointments should, where possible, be arranged outside school time. (when this cannot be avoided, a medical card must be provided as evidence).
- Absences of 5 days or more must be supported by medical evidence or where patterns of absence are shown.
Please complete the attached form
Punctuality
Being on time is vital and we expect all pupils to attend school regularly and to be punctual for the start of the school day which starts at 8:25am. If your child is late for any reason, they need to sign in at reception with a valid reason.
Absence During Term Time
Attendance is crucial for academic success and prepares students for life beyond school and into their future careers. Staff at Valentines High School work diligently with families to support their child’s attendance, especially on the rare occasion when it is low.
Reporting Attendance:
If your child will be absent from school due to illness, medical appointments, or any other reason, please notify the school on the first day of absence.
Contact Information:
- Phone: Call 020 8554 3608 and choose option "1" if your child is in Year 7 to 11 or option "2" to report a Sixth Form absence.
- Email: Alternatively, email us at mail@valentines-sch.org.uk.
If the school does not receive any communication from the parent or carer, a call will be made home from the school.
Important: Written notification of the absence period and the reason for the absence from the parent or guardian is required on the first day of the pupil’s return.
Please note: Absences of 5 days or more must be supported by medical evidence or where patterns of absence are shown.
Evidence can be (however not exclusive to):
- Doctors notes
- Prescriptions
- Labels from medicine that have a date within the absence period
- Appointment letters
- Referral letters
The importance of attendance
The general guidance for excellent attendance is that students should attend school at least 96% of the time. This equates to no more than 8 days of absence across an academic year. Below is a summary that shows how many hours of learning your child will miss when they do not attend school.
An attendance percentage of less than 90% attendance (approximately 19 days or more of absence across an academic year), is classed by the government as “Persistent Absence” and without sufficient evidence to explain this level of absence, families are open to intervention by the Local Authority, in this case the London Borough of Redbridge and may result in a Fixed Penalty Notice.
The school’s attendance has been created to include effective systems and procedures for encouraging regular school attendance and investigating and resolving the underlying causes of poor attendance. Parents are encouraged to contact the school if they would like support with their child’s attendance.
It is proven by numerous studies that regular attendance at school will help your child get the most from their education and that pupils who attend regularly are likely to develop both academically and socially, leave school with more qualifications, improve their life chances and have greater access to employment opportunities. For these reasons staff members, including your child’s form tutor, Head of House and Pastoral and Attendance teams monitor punctuality and attendance and take action when attendance declines.
Punctuality
Punctuality is a key life skill for students that translates into the world of work, and we strive to ensure students are in good habits from a young age.
All students are expected to arrive at school by 8.25am. Students arriving at school after 8.30am will be marked as late. This will result in a sanction.
Students arriving after 9:30 am will receive a ‘U’ code. This will impact your child’s overall attendance figure and could lead to a Penalty Notice. Medical appointments should be scheduled outside of school hours whenever possible. If this is not feasible, your child should attend school before and after the appointment.
Attendance changes – From August 2024
The Department for Education (DfE) has introduced new guidance for schools on managing attendance, including a national framework for penalty notices. These changes take effect from 19 August 2024. At Valentines High School, we adhere to the Redbridge Attendance Strategy and Code of Conduct. You can find our school’s attendance policy on our website.
penalty notices for school attendance.pdf
Medical appointments:
We understand that medical appointments may be hard to come by; you could wait weeks to see your GP and often hospitals will book appointments during school time. However, we do stress that, where possible, you seek medical appointments outside of school time and during holidays. Any medical appointments during the school day require evidence, without this we cannot authorise the absence. Students should, where possible, not be out all day for medical appointments and either come to school before hand, or return afterwards to maximise learning time.
Evidence can be (however not exclusive to):
- Doctors notes
- Prescriptions
- Labels from medicine that have a date within the absence period
- Appointment letters
- Referral letters
Term time leave:
Holidays should NOT be arranged in term time as this disrupts a pupil’s education. Any request for withdrawal of a pupil during term time, except for exceptional reasons, will not be granted and parents may be liable to a Fixed Penalty Notice as per the Redbridge Attendance Strategy and Code of Conduct.
If your child is absent before or after a school holiday, we must see evidence for the absence. This may be medical evidence if your child is unwell, or evidence of flight delays or circumstances beyond your control.
We cannot authorise any absences before or after a holiday without this evidence and you risk being issued with a penalty notice.
Please complete the attached form
Religious Observance
At Valentines we are proud of our School ethos of "working in harmony – achieving excellence”. We are an inclusive community with a diverse population of Students of faith and no faith. All students and staff at VHS will have access to our reflection rooms. Reflection rooms provide students and staff of any religious persuasion or none, with a quiet and reflective space.
The reflection rooms are designed to be conducive to individual prayer and meditation and will contain appropriate facilities to assist the prayers of members of major religious traditions.
While the reflection rooms are for individual prayer and reflection, it is recognised that for Muslim prayer there is an additional blessing when the faithful pray with others. While this is fully respected, it is expected that reflection rooms will be shared openly with those of other religious traditions who may wish to pray at the same time and those who may just wish to think and reflect.
Arrangements have been made to allow for religious observance where and when this is possible, without detriment to our educational offer. As such, prayer rooms will be accessible between 1:10pm -1:50pm.
On a Friday a member of staff will be available to lead group prayer for members of our Muslim community.
Find a Reflection room
A reflection room can be found within the Sixth Form block and on a Friday. The Drama Studio will also be available for group prayer.
Attendance Monitoring
