At Woodstock House we believe attendance is a shared journey between school and families.

We commit to creating a safe, welcoming environment where every child feels valued and supported.

We commit to listening to families, understanding individual needs, and working together to overcome barriers. We commit to working together to understand a child or young person’s needs and how to overcome barriers to accessing an education.

We ask families to commit to keeping us informed and working with us so we can help children make the most of every day in school.

Why Attendance Matters
We know that coming to school every day can make a big difference to a child’s learning, confidence, social skills and friendships. Every lesson really does count, and regular routines can help our students feel settled and secure.

Our Approach
We understand that attending school can be challenging. That’s why we work closely with families to support good attendance in a way that meets each child’s individual needs. Our aim is always to listen, understand, and find solutions together.

Working Together
If your child is struggling with attendance for any reason, please talk to us. We are here to help, whether that means adjusting routines, offering extra support, or working with other professionals. Together, we can make sure your child feels safe, included, and ready to learn.

Getting in Touch
If your child is unwell or cannot attend school, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing attendance email. or call 01372276499. This helps us keep everyone safe and ensures we can support your child when they are ready to return.

Please let us know as soon as possible. We can work with you to understand what’s worrying your child and agree small, manageable steps to help them feel more comfortable. Sometimes even small adjustments to routines can make a big difference.

Where possible, please try to book appointments outside of school hours. We understand this isn’t always possible, and if your child needs to attend during the day, just let us know in advance. We’ll also make sure their teachers are aware. 

Parents are requested to inform the school at least 24 hours in advance of an appointment that will require absence from school by sending an email to the attendance email. Students must sign out at Reception on leaving the school and sign back in on their return.  Where a student is being collected from the school, parents/carers are requested to report to Reception before the student can leave the school site.

Attending a medical (these include sessions such as OT/therapy etc) or dental appointment will be recorded as authorised, as long as the student’s parent/carer notifies the school in advance of the appointment and provides documentation to support the absence, within 24 hours of the appointment taking place.

If your child is unwell, it’s important they stay home to rest and recover. Please contact the school office to let us know the reason for their absence. We’ll talk with you about supporting their return when they’re ready. We may ask the student’s parent/carer to provide medical evidence, such as a doctor’s note, prescription, appointment card or other appropriate form of evidence. We will not ask for medical evidence unnecessarily. 

We’ll always approach this with care and understanding. Our first step is to talk with you to find out what’s getting in the way of regular attendance and then work together on a plan. We want every child to feel safe and supported at school. We know that some of our students have unique challenges with routines and attendance. We will listen to you, involve relevant staff or professionals where helpful, and make reasonable adjustments to support your child’s needs.

Our school day starts at 8.30am, students can start arriving from 8.20am. Arriving on time helps our students prepare for their day in a calmer mindset, ready to learn, connect with peers and staff and help reduce anxiety and make transitions smoother. 

We understand that there will be times that students will arrive late to school. Please contact the school before 830am if your child/young person is running late so that we can let their form tutor/teachers know. As part of our safeguarding duties, if we do not hear from you by 9am we will contact parents/guardians to establish where your child/young person is and ensure they are safe

Students who arrive after 9am will be recorded as late to school. Students arriving late must go straight to the school office to register that they have arrived and are now on site.   Students arriving late due to taxis will not be marked down as late. 

The Headteacher will only grant a leave of absence to a student during term time if they consider there to be ‘exceptional circumstances’. A leave of absence is granted at the Headteacher’s discretion, including the length of time the student is authorised to be absent for. Woodstock House considers each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request. The Headteacher may require evidence to support any request for leave of absence.

Parents and carers who wish to take their child out of school during term time must put their request in writing to the attendance email at least two weeks in advance of the date of the requested absence.

The school holiday and inset dates are published at the earliest opportunity and we expect parents and carers to book their family holidays during the school holidays.  Where a leave of absence is taken which does not fall into the exceptional circumstances category, it will be recorded on a student’s attendance record as unauthorised absence.