Attendance

If your child is unwell and cannot attend school, parents/carers must contact the Attendance Team as soon as possible, and by no later than 8:15am on each morning of absence. 

Please ensure you give your child's name, year group, their reason for absence, and expected date of return. 

The attendance team is available every school day between 8am and 4.00pm. They can be contacted via phone 0113 2645456 (option 1) and by email via TLAAttendance@tla.rklt.co.uk

Whilst we understand children get unwell, school only authorise two episodes of illness throughout the academic year. Any further absences relating to illness will be recorded as unauthorised unless medical evidence is provided. Medical evidence can include appointment cards, screen shots of emails or texts confirming appointments, or prescriptions for medication. 

Please note that if your child’s attendance is low, we may not authorise any absences without medical evidence and schools reserve the right not to authorise illness absences at any time.

We expect all students to be on time for school. All students must be in school ready for their first lesson which begins at 8:25am.

The gate on Cartmell Drive will be locked at 8:30am and again at 3:30pm. The primary gate is also be locked at 8:30am, but in the afternoon will be locked at 4:10pm, for those who access extra-curricular clubs. Any student arriving after 8.30am will need to use the main reception gate. If Secondary students leave school after 3:30pm, again they will need to leave via the main entrance. 

For secondary pupils, if your child is late between the following times they will be given the following detention:

• 8:25am – 8:45am; 20-minute detention afterschool the next day
• 8:45am – 9:00am; 40-minute detention afterschool the next day
• 9:00am onwards; 1-hour detention afterschool the next day

Further lateness will result in further sanctions. We appreciate parent/carer support in ensuring your child is on time to school to set them up well for the day, and to ensure they do not miss any learning opportunities.

We understand that some of our older students drop young siblings off at school. If this applies to your children, you need to notify us by emailing TLAAttendance@tla.rklt.co.uk. If your children attend TLA, we can make arrangements so that both of your children arrive at school on time. When collecting students, we ask that all parents/carers wait in the primary waiting area.

All appointments should be made outside of school time. Where this is not possible, for example, if it is a specialist appointment, please ensure you ring the Attendance office in advance, and provide proof of the appointment - for example, an appointment letter or text. 

If you wish to request leave for your child, for any reason, you will need to complete an exceptional circumstances request form. These can be accessed from the main office in school and will need to be completed regardless of length of, or reason for, absence. 

We will not authorise any holiday during term time. Should a parent/carer choose to take their child out of school during term time, we will discuss the case with Leeds City Council to process a penalty fine.

The Government changed the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations in relation to term time holidays on 1st September 2013. As a result, Head Teachers can no longer allow any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. This means that holidays in term time will not be authorised and will be marked as an unauthorised absence in the school register. You still need to request a holiday form should you be taking your child on holiday during term time - please come to Main Reception to collect one. 

Unauthorised absences may result in a Penalty Notice being issued under the provisions of the Education Act 1996 (as amended) which means that you could be fined for your child’s absence.

Penalty Notices are issued by Leeds City Council on our behalf.

• First offence - The first time a Penalty Notice is issued the amount will be: £80 per parent, per child paid within 21 days. This increases to £160 per parent, per child if paid after day 21, until day 28. Any non-payment of the Penalty Notice may be referred to the Magistrates Court.
• Second Offence (within 3 years) - the second time a Penalty Notice is issued the amount will be £160 per parent, per child paid within 28 days. Any non-payment of the Penalty Notice may be referred to the Magistrates Court.
• Third Offence and Any Further Offences (within 3 years) - the third time an offence is committed a Penalty Notice will not be issued, and the case may be presented straight to the Magistrates’ Court under s.444 of the Education Act (1996) or other legal interventions considered. A guilty verdict at the Magistrates’ Court can lead to a fine of up to £1000, and a criminal record which can affect employment opportunities.

Where we have not had contact with a family regarding a child(ren)’s absence we may conduct a welfare home visit. These visits will be conducted by the attendance team, safeguarding team and/or the School’s Safer Police Officer. Home visits will also be conducted where we have not been provided with a reason for absence or where a student’s attendance is low.

Attendance concerns will be addressed early through School Attendance Panel meetings, and we will seek to support students and families at all times. Parents have a legal responsibility, as outlined in Section 444 of the Education Act (1996), to ensure that their children attend school regularly and on time.  Government legislation empowers schools and local authorities to take action against families when a child’s attendance has dropped below 90% without good reason.  In cases where a student’s attendance continues to be an issue, Temple Learning Academy will make a referral to Leeds City Council, and this may include a request for legal intervention.

Daily attendance data helps to inform strategies for cohorts and individual students where pattern of attendance is concerning. There is a tiered approach with appropriate strategies and interventions to support families in improving concerning patterns of attendance. The attendance tiers are as follow:

Support Available:

There are multiple ways to access support in improving your child's attendance - firstly, we would urge you to contact the Attendance Team at school. We are committed to supporting you in improving your child's attendance, and we would always seek to work with you to solve any issues. 

The attendance team is available every school day between 8am and 4.00pm. They can be contacted via phone 0113 2645456 (option 1) and by email via 
TLAAttendance@tla.rklt.co.uk

In primary, students' attendance is celebrated every week through their assembly. Secondary students are able to reflect on their attendance and punctuality during the Monday Guidance session, with positive attendance celebrated. We aim to celebrate students' attendance at the end of each term, for those who have demonstrated excellent attendance throughout a term and the academic year. 

Whilst it is our culture for every student to have 100% attendance, we recognise that in some cases absence from school is unavoidable. We therefore grant exceptions, for example, for the following reasons: attending a specialist medical appointment relating to a long-term illness or medical condition and to grieve for and attend a funeral of a family member. All exceptions will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.