At Woodfield School, we recognise that good attendance is essential for children and young people to achieve their full potential. We work closely with families to support regular attendance and ensure that pupils are safe, happy, and able to access their education.

Registration Times

Morning Registration: 9:00am – 9:30am

Pupils arriving after 9:30am will be marked as late.

Afternoon Registration: 1:30pm

 

Reporting an Absence

If your child is unable to attend school, parents/carers must contact the school directly as soon as possible on the first day of absence, and keep the school informed on each subsequent day of absence.

You can notify us by:

• Telephone
• Email: admin@woodfield.herts.sch.uk

Please do not send absence messages via transport staff, as these may not reach the school office promptly.

When reporting an absence, please provide the reason for your child's absence and keep us updated if the absence continues.

 

What Happens if We Do Not Hear From You?

If we have not received notification of your child's absence by the time the morning registers close at 9:30am, parents/carers will receive an Attendance Follow-Up phone call or notification through Arbor via SMS and/or email.

Once we receive information regarding your child's absence, the attendance register will be updated accordingly.

If we do not receive a reason for absence, your child will be marked as having an unauthorised absence. It is the responsibility of parents/carers to inform the school of the reason for the absence.

If we are unable to make contact with parents/carers, we will:

• Telephone emergency contacts
• Send an email
• Consider carrying out a home visit where appropriate in the interests of safeguarding

If no contact has been made with parents/carers by the tenth day of absence, or sooner if concerns arise, the Local Authority will be informed.

 

Monitoring Attendance

We regularly monitor attendance and work closely with families where attendance is causing concern.

Parents/carers may be contacted if their child's attendance falls below 90% or if there are emerging attendance concerns.

Attendance information and statistics can be viewed at any time through your child's Arbor profile.

The school also meets regularly with the Local Authority Attendance Officer to review attendance and ensure that appropriate support is offered to pupils and families where needed.

 

Leave of Absence During Term Time

If you wish to request leave of absence for your child during term time, you must complete and submit a Holiday Request Form in advance of the planned absence.

The Department for Education states that headteachers may only authorise leave of absence during term time in exceptional circumstances. Family holidays and recreational trips will not normally be considered in exceptional circumstances and are unlikely to be authorised.

If leave of absence is taken without authorisation, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised. In such cases, parents/carers may be issued with a Penalty Notice (fine) by the Local Authority in line with current attendance regulations.

If you are considering requesting leave during term time, please contact the school to discuss your circumstances before making any arrangements.

You can find the absence request form below. 

 

Working Together

We understand that some pupils and families may face challenges that affect attendance. Our aim is always to work in partnership with parents/carers to identify barriers, offer support, and help every child access their education as fully as possible.

If you have concerns about your child's attendance, please contact the school, and we will be happy to discuss how we can help.

Our full Attendance Policy can be found here.