Report Absence

To report your child's absence, you can either:
Call: 020 8804 1906
Email: cmiller@bishopstopfords.enfield.sch.uk

We attach great importance to our work on improving school attendance in line with targets set by both the Local Authority and the Government. To this end, attendance is monitored very closely. Schools that work hard to improve attendance, like ours, have seen a measurable improvement in attainment.

Absence from school can only be authorised by the School and is only acceptable for sickness or agreed special circumstances. Our absence procedure is as follows:

• Students arriving after registration must report to the main office.
• In the case of all known absences, it is an expectation of parents/guardians that they write to the Headteacher to request an authorised absence.
• Please call the Attendance Officer whenever your child is unable to attend school for any reason. This includes illness, medical appointments, college interviews, bereavements and funerals etc.
• On returning to school, please provide the student with a note of explanation to cover the period of absence – this is a legal requirement.
• To enable us to authorise absences due to medical appointments (hospital, doctor, dentist, orthodontist or physiotherapist), please provide evidence in the form of an appointment card or letter.
• The school does not permit holidays in term time, but if this is absolutely unavoidable, please write to the school in advance.

If your child is absent from illness for a prolonged period, it may be possible to send work home. Please contact your child’s form teacher, but bear in mind that if your child is very unwell, he or she may well not feel up to doing any work. It is your child’s responsibility on returning to school to find out from teachers what has been missed and to make up this work. Good, regular attendance improves learning. We are proud of our attendance record at Bishop Stopford’s School and are constantly trying to improve it.

A member of our Senior Management Team liaises with the Education Welfare Service who offer help and guidance to students who find it difficult to attend school. The School’s Education Welfare Officer has the right to examine our registers and investigate the attendance of any pupil who shows an irregular attendance pattern.

No student is to leave the school between 8.35am – 1:15pm and 2.00pm – 3:15pm without the permission of their Head of House/a Deputy Headteacher or Welfare Officer in the case of illness. In all cases, students must register with the Welfare Officer before leaving and after returning.

All students in Years 7 to 11 must remain on the school site during break and lunch times.

Punctuality

Ensuring punctuality for school and lessons is a fundamental expectation for all students. Being on time supports consistent attendance, ensuring students receive morning notices and participate fully in lessons, which fosters academic success and establishes beneficial habits for the future.

To uphold the importance of attendance and punctuality, we have implemented a strict policy regarding lateness. Students arriving after 8:35am will automatically be assigned a same-day detention until 4pm.

Any student arriving for school after the register has been closed in the morning, must go to the school office to sign in, so that we are aware of his or her presence in school. Failure to do so, could have fatal consequences in the case of fire as we check the safety of each student against the register.

For further information, please refer to our comprehensive attendance and punctuality policy available on our Policies page.