Attendance Policy & Routine

At LAE Tottenham we believe an excellent education is underpinned first and foremost by outstanding attendance. As such, we expect all of our students to be in school each and every day, and to develop grown-up habits with regards to punctuality.

We consider outstanding attendance to be 98% and better:

Outstanding attendance	Year to date attendance of 98% or better	98.4% attendance is equivalent to one day missed per term
Good attendance	Year to date attendance of between 96% - 97.9%	97% attendance is equivalent to 5 days missed across an academic year
Concerning attendance	Year to date attendance of between 92% - 95.9%	92% attendance is equivalent to close to one day missed per fortnight
Unacceptable attendance	Year to date attendance of below 91.9%	90% attendance is equivalent to 20 days missed over a year

All students are part of one of our Houses - Faraday, Tull or Woolf. Within each house, students are allocated to tutor groups of around 23, giving an immediate point of contact for all pastoral issues. Each tutor is supported by a Head of Year, whose responsibility it is to have oversight of the academic and pastoral development of students in the year group.

Systems Overview

For students and parents, please find an overview of the systems by which we communicate and monitor attendance:

Morning arrival	Tutor time begins at 9.00am All students should therefore be in by 8.55am at the latest. School is open for students' optional study in the library or the hall from 8am.
Morning registration	8.55am
Morning lateness	Arrival between 8.56- 9.10am
Lateness for any lesson	Any point after 2 minutes following the start of the lesson
Truancy	Unexplained and unexpected absence from a lesson, including lateness over 10 minutes. A L2 detention will be issued for any truancy.
Foreseen absence	Students must apply for authorisation at least 24 hours* in advance by email to the relevant attendance team.* Y12: yr12attendance@laetottenham.ac.uk Y13: yr13attendance@laetottenham.ac.uk
Unforeseen absence	Parents/carers should call in before 9.00am on 020 8352 6020
Unavoidable and informed lateness	Students may call 020 8352 6020 before 8.55am to inform the school that they will be late. The registers for morning arrival close at 9.10am.
Other lateness	Any students that arrive after 8.55am would be marked late and could be entered into a late detention that day if they don't provide a reasonable explanation. Registers close at 9.10am. Any students missing by this time will be marked as absent from the morning session. Three instances of morning lateness within a week would lead to a full week of 'early morning registration' - arriving at school for 8am for 5 days. Failure to complete this would result in an L2 detention.

The school's overall attendance for 2022-23 was 95.6%.

faq

What do I do if I know I am too unwell to attend school?

Your parent or carer must call the school before 9.00am on 020 8352 6020. We will not authorise absence without your legal guardian informing us – it cannot be you that completes this phone call.

If you have a high temperature and a respiratory illness you should avoid attending school until the temperature has subsided and you feel well enough to return.

What do I do if I can foresee an absence in advance?

You should apply for authorisation at least 24 hours in advance by email to the relevant attendance team.

Y12: yr12attendance@laetottenham.ac.uk Y13: yr13attendance@laetottenham.ac.uk

Absence for independent visits such as university open days or interviews should also be approved by subject teachers for that day. You should collect a form from reception and submit it to your Deputy Head of Year 48 hours in advance of the absence.

If you request authorisation for absence, but it is denied, and you choose to be absent, this will result in an L2 detention.

What should happen when I return from an absence caused by sickness?

You may be required to complete a return-to-school form, which your Head of Year will share with you. Following the third instance of this, the school will request a doctor’s note to verify this, for every further sickness-related absence.

What would happen if I was absent from school without calling to report my absence?

The school office would call your parent/carer to ascertain your whereabouts.

If the school is unable to make contact with you by 12pm midday, having exhausted all reasonable means, we would be required to ask your family to report you as missing to the police.

For any student with a Child Protection plan in place we would also need to inform your social worker.

On the third consecutive day of unexplained absence from the school, the pastoral team at LAE Tottenham will carry out a home visit to ensure you are safe.

What should I do if I realise I am going to be late for school?

If it becomes clear on your journey to school that you will be late, you should call the school before 8.45am on 020 8352 6020. If this number is engaged you should leave a message or continue to call until you get through. If you arrive before 9.20am you will be registered as late, with no further sanction.

What will happen if I am late for school?

If you have informed school in advance and arrive after 8.56am you will be registered as late.

If you are late and do not inform the school that your journey has been interrupted, you will be marked as late and will be required to report to late detention at 11.10am with a member of senior staff to explain your absence.

If you arrive after 9.10am you will be marked absent for the morning session, having missed the window for morning registration.

What should I do if I am late for a lesson?

If you are more than two minutes late for a lesson, you should politely and quietly knock on the door of your classroom and wait to be addressed by your teacher. They will then invite you into the lesson and will address your lateness at an appropriate time. Lateness beyond 10 minutes will trigger an automatic L1 detention. Repeated lateness will see this consequence escalated.

What if I am late more than once in a week?

If you record three ‘lates’ within one week at the beginning of the school day, you will be required to complete ‘early morning registration’ for the whole following week, in which you will be expected to arrive for school at the earlier time of 8am. This is to break the cycle of poor punctuality and to improve your habits. Failure to complete this would result in an L2 detention.

How will LAET monitor our attendance?

Your attendance will be tracked and monitored each half-term, and also measured as a year-to-date figure. Each half-term attendance meetings will be organised for any students whose attendance does not meet the expectations of the school.