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Attendance
Attendance at Rickmansworth School is exceptional with the majority of students exceeding national and county averages, thus ensuring they achieve their potential. It is widely acknowledged that a child’s school attendance is directly linked to their academic attainment, personal development and opportunities presented beyond school.
The high levels of attendance are recognised by our FFT award for being in the top 25% of schools nationally for 2022/2023.
Please liaise with your child's Form Tutor and/or Director of Learning should you wish to discuss your child’s attendance in more detail, otherwise a range of parental guidance and support is also available for parents to help address pastoral matters which might be a cause for low attendance.
Parents and carers are asked to follow the attendance expectations and school procedures in order to achieve exceptional attendance for their child.
Attendance Expectations and School Procedures for Absence
Whilst we expect students at Rickmansworth School to attend school every day, we understand that illness and bespoke reasons can prevent attendance at times. We therefore expect all students to achieve at least 96% attendance and ask you to support us in achieving this target by following the guidance below;
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Please avoid requests for holiday during term time as these will not be approved.
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Please make requests for absence due to exceptional circumstances in writing to Mr Fletcher by completing the Google form below:
Application for Student Leave of Absence (non-medical)
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Please avoid making medical appointments during the school day, where this is not possible evidence of the medical appointment is required.
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Supporting evidence is required when a student is absent for 5 or more days (consecutive or separate) for the same reason.
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Please email studentattendance@rickmansworth.herts.sch.uk before 08:00 if your child is unable to attend school due to illness.
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If your child is in Sixth Form, please email sixthformattendance@rickmansworth.herts.sch.uk before 08:00 if they are unable to attend school due to illness.
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Parents of students not reported absent will be contacted each morning to confirm the reason for absence. Please respond promptly to this call.
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Work is not able to be provided for students absent from school.
Anxiety and School Avoidance Advice
If you’re reading this section of the website, you might be the parent or carer of a child who is anxious about attending school. This is sometimes referred to as a child having emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA). Supporting a child with EBSA can become complex and difficult to overcome, we are therefore pleased to share the EBSA guidance produced by Hertfordshire County Council. The guidance is primarily aimed at parents and carers of children who are at the early stages of EBSA – those for whom school is just beginning to be a source of anxiety and attendance a cause for concern. Please liaise with the appropriate member of the Pastoral Team if you are concerned about your child's attendance.
Should my child go to school if they are unwell?
Parents are encouraged to ensure their child attends school whenever possible, including when they might feel unwell. If required, please refer to the Hertfordshire and Essex nhs guidance which provides a useful overview of when students should and should not attend school depending on the illness.
Unauthorised Absences and Fixed Penalty Notices
Unauthorised absences will be recorded on the attendance register using the following codes:
G - Holiday not granted by the school or in excess of the period determined by the school
O - Absent without authorisation
U - Arrived in school after registration closed
Parents will be issued a Fixed Penalty Notice Warning letter should their child be absent from school for 4 (2 days) unauthorised sessions.
In accordance with Hertfordshire's Attendance Code of Conduct the school will apply for a Fixed a Penalty Notice should a child be absent from school for 10 (5 days) unauthorised sessions over a ten school week period. This complies with the introduction of the new Department of Education (DfE) National Framework for Penalty Notices.
