Attendance Monitoring at Southmoor
The attendance officer for Southmoor Academy is Mr J. Young. Please contact school reception on 0191 594 9991 if you would like to speak to him on any issues regarding your child’s attendance.
To ensure safety, no pupil should leave school during the school day for any reason unless they have a specific permission slip called a ‘pass-out’. This requires proof of the appointment prior to the pass-out being issued. Pupils should request a pass-out form from their Head of Year.
Our full attendance policy can be found here.
Your Responsibilities as a Parent
By law, all children of compulsory school age (5 to 16) must receive suitable full-time education.
As a parent or guardian, YOU have a legal responsibility for making sure they attend school on a regular basis.
If they do not attend, the school will make a referral to the Local Authority for consideration in relation to issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice where a child has missed 20 or more sessions within the previous 10 weeks without permission from school, or consider prosecuting you for an offence under the Education Act 1996. This may result in the Local Authority taking legal action against you in the Magistrates Court. Prosecution for failing to ensure regular attendance at school can be taken where a child is a registered pupil at a school.
Prosecutions are in accordance with Section 444 Education Act 1996.
We expect pupils of Southmoor Academy to maintain a high standard of attendance to enable us to offer them certificates and references that will be put into their record of achievement for when they leave.
The Department for Education (DFE) has changed the law about holidays in school time. The new law states that headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time other than in exceptional circumstances. Low cost travel or arrangements made by a family member are not deemed to be exceptional circumstances.
Sunderland Local Authority will be monitoring all school absences and challenging those schools and parents that do not follow the new legislation. The local authority can fine parents for failing to ensure their child attends school.
Everyday Counts
You can find lots of useful information about attendance and how important it is to your child’s future in our ‘Everyday Counts‘ booklet.
