Attendance Team

Attendance

As part of Gladesmore’s commitment to developing life-long skills in all its learners as well as ensuring every learner has the greatest chance of success, punctuality and attendance is monitored closely.

The school day begins at 8:35am and we recommend that your child be on the school premises no later than 8:30am. 

• The Success Lounge opens at 7:45am. 
• Stepping Stones Breakfast Club runs on the Gallery from 8am to 8:30am for:
  • Year 7 students on Monday - Wednesday
  • Year 8 students on Thursday and Friday.
• Attendance Team Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 8:30am Monday-Thursday

Guidance regarding absences & lateness

1. Please either telephone 0208 800 0884, option 1 or email attendance@gladesmore.com on the morning of the first day (and any following days) of your child’s absence to inform us of the reason your child is absent. Calls will be answered from 8:30am.  Gladesmore Community School has a safeguarding duty under section 175 Education Act 2002 to investigate any unexplained absences.  If your child is absent without notification, the attendance team will follow up with a call, text or email.
2. If your child is absent for more than 3 days, medical evidence will be required.
3. We will only consider time off during term time in exceptional circumstances. Please read the information provided on the Holiday in Term Time Policy page to find out more. Please note that if your child goes on holiday without authorisation from the school, you may be issued with a fixed penalty fine (of up to £2500) for non-attendance. 
4. Any medical or dental appointments should be scheduled outside school hours where possible. If you cannot, please provide evidence of the appointment.
5. Your child should not be kept away from school for unnecessary reasons, e.g. birthdays, holidays, visits from relatives, shopping trips, interpreting for a relative or your own ill health as this will not be authorised.
6. If lateness or absence becomes a frequent occurrence, we will contact you and try to assist you in resolving any difficulties. Pupils who arrive after 9.00am should report to the Attendance Team in Room B6 or to Reception to get marked in before going to their lesson.
7. If your child is unwell during the school day, they need to report to the Attendance Team in Room B6, who will then contact their parents.

If there is anything specific you’d like to discuss regarding your child’s attendance and/or punctuality, please do not hesitate to contact us using the methods above. 

Understanding Your Child's Attendance

Gladesmore Community School will provide you with regular updates regarding your child's attendance and punctuality. We know that this information is sometimes a little confusing for parents, and so we provide this chart to help interpret the data. 

Please note that these expectations apply to almost all pupils, however we are aware that at times pupils may need to miss school for good reasons, e.g. medical concerns. Where this is the case, the school is supportive and sympathetic.   However, please note that even where absence is authorised e.g. medical appointments, your child's attendance percentage will still be impacted as they have not been in school every day.   

If your child is experiencing medical issues, please advise the school as soon as possible, so we can put in place suitable strategies to prevent them falling behind in their education.