Your child should attend every day the school is open. This is what we mean by regular attendance.

We insist that students are present every day that the school is open, recognising that excellent attendance represents a commitment to make the most of learning opportunities, which is central to our core value of engagement.  Excellent attendance is rewarded and celebrated as we recognise that regular attendance has a positive effect on the motivation and attainment of our students. Consistent and punctual attendance are qualities which are highly valued by employers, who want to know that their workforce is reliable, and as such they are qualities we seek to develop in our students.

We expect students to attend school regularly – this means 100% attendance.

95% attendance during the year means that students have been absent for 10 days.  This equates to two full school weeks, or 50 hours of learning that has been missed.   

Even though our attendance expectations are high, we understand there are unavoidable circumstances that can impact a student’s attendance. We have an extensive pastoral team that is dedicated to supporting students that are struggling, for many reasons, but in this particular case, with barriers to attending school.

If your child feels unwell in the morning but seems better later in the morning, please bring them into school for the afternoon session.

You must report absence every day that your child is absent from school.

For more information regarding absence, please refer to our Attendance Policy.

At Stanground Academy we value the importance of punctuality and how it directly affects your child’s education. Frequent lateness results in valuable learning time being lost and causes disruption to the flow of teaching, not only affecting the late student’s progress but also the learning of others.

Our expectations and procedures for punctuality are:

Morning Arrival

School gates open at 8:15am and will now close promptly at 8:30am.

Any student arriving after this time will be marked as late and must sign in at the Late Desk.

All students must be in their tutor rooms by 8:35am, ready to begin the day in a calm and focused manner.

Late arrivals to school will be given a same-day 3.45pm correction.

Correction Notifications

If your child is issued a correction due to lateness to school or lessons, you will be notified on the same day via ClassCharts. If the correction is missed, they will be referred to a 4.30pm or 6.00pm correction. 

Why does this matter?

Being late, even by a few minutes, leads to lost learning time, disrupts the flow of teaching, and places your child at a disadvantage. Developing good habits sets the foundation for success not only in school, but in future employment and life. As parents/carers, we ask for your continued support in helping your child arrive on time every day. Ensuring a strong morning routine at home – including enough rest, timely wake-ups, and a calm start – can make a real difference.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s attendance, our dedicated team is here to help:

• Attendance Officer: Miss M Joslin
  Available Monday–Friday between 08:00 – 15:00

• 📞 Phone: 01733 821430

• Senior Attendance Champion: Mrs D Fundira, Senior Assistant Principal

For attendance enquiries, please contact us using our ‘contact us’ page

Parents/ Carers should inform the school of potential lateness to school, or absence, before 8:30am. This must be via the absence reporting channels detailed below.  Be aware that Tutors/ Heads of Year are not always able to see their emails until later in the day, due to teaching commitments, so please inform the Deputy Head of Year as a priority.

When reporting a student's absence, parents/carers should provide the student’s name, tutor group, their name, and nature of absence (including details of absence and when you expect them to return).

Year 7 to 11 student absences can be reported to:

• Email: enquiries@stangroundacademy.org
• Telephone: 01733 821430 Option 2

Year 12 & 13 student absences can be reported to our Sixth Form Team 

• Email: sixthform@stangroundacademy.org

Illness

On occasions that your child feels unwell in the morning, please encourage them to attend in the first instance. Sometimes, having a stomach ache or headache can speak to issues other than illness, such as not having completed homework and being worried about the consequences. Identifying the cause of the symptoms of apparent illness and informing their tutor or deputy or head of year, can aid in overcoming these scenarios, often as the student is reassured that a member of staff is aware as a starting point. This way, if further support is required on that particular day, it can be identified and applied to aid the student to address their worries rather than avoid them.

If there is not an identifiable reason for the symptoms, please still encourage your child to attend. Equally, if they do stay at home in the morning but feel better throughout the day, please bring them to the academy as soon as they do.

Of course, there will be occasions when your child is too unwell to attend school, in which case you must inform the school as soon as possible. If your child is absent due to illness, even if they will only be absent for part of the day, report this using the details above.

Appointments

All appointments should be made outside of school hours or in the holidays.  Where this is unavoidable (usually with hospital or specialist appointments), we advise you to make this as late as possible to reduce the amount of school that is missed. No matter the time of appointment, we expect your child to attend before and after the appointment to avoid missing vital parts of their education.

Appointments must be reported to the Attendance Team as soon as they are scheduled via the channels detailed above.

At Stanground Academy, we are committed to supporting every student. If a student is struggling, whether with their mental health, emotional wellbeing, or facing other challenges, we have a range of support available to help.

Our dedicated staff work closely with students to provide guidance, care, and practical support tailored to individual needs. No concern is too small, and we encourage students and families to reach out whenever support is needed.

Please see further support here.

At Stanground Academy, we celebrate and reward students who maintain excellent attendance or show consistent improvement throughout the academic year.

Rewards may include:

• Certificates and aspire points
• Entry into prize draws and competitions
• ‘Skip the queue’ lunch passes
• 100% attendance badges with special privileges
• Non-uniform days, Discos, Cinema Events, and Reward Trips

We also run seasonal attendance challenges to keep motivation high:

• October – Pumpkin Points for perfect attendance
• December – 20 Days of Christmas Attendance Challenge
• February – Love Your Attendance Challenge
• Easter – Easter Egg Attendance Challenge

Additional incentives may be offered at the discretion of the Attendance Team, based on individual circumstances or notable efforts.

What happens if my child does not attend school and I haven’t informed the school?

Parents/Carers should report all absences by 8:30am on each day of absence from school. In the event our Attendance Team has not received communication from parents/carers reporting their child’s absence, they will attempt to make contact to establish a reason for absence, which can include telephone calls, letters and home visits.

What happens if my child attends school irregularly?

Attendance is monitored closely and reviewed periodically (4-weekly) by the Attendance Team and Pastoral Team. Actions will be decided according to our attendance procedures to give parents/carers an opportunity to raise any issues they are facing in regard to attendance. Support will be provided to help students secure regular attendance at school. Signposting and referrals may be made to outside agencies, where necessary. Stanground Academy recognises there are many different reasons for a student absence and that each family circumstance is unique, so parents/ carers should communicate any issues with staff as soon as they arise so they are resolved quickly.

If students fail to secure regular attendance, despite support from Stanground Academy, then parents/carers may be subject to legal action. For more information on Attendance Intervention please see the Attendance Policy and Penalty Notice Fines for School attendance. 

What happens if my child is late to school?

Students are expected to attend every day and arrive at their tutorial classroom by 8:35am. Punctuality in all sessions and lessons is important.

A student who arrives after the start of the school day, but before the registers have closed at 9:30am will be marked as ‘late’ for that session, using the appropriate code in this circumstance. A student who arrives after the start of the school day, without a previously authorised reason, and after the registers have closed at 9:30am will be marked as ‘late’ to that session, using the appropriate code in this circumstance. This is considered an unauthorised absence.

Students that arrive late to school without parental notification, or with parental notification that is not authorised by Stanground Academy, will sit a 3.45pm correction on the same day. If students fail to attend this correction, the consequence will escalate to a 4.30pm or 6.00pm school correction. Parents are notified on ClassCharts when students are issued corrections. 

Like attendance, we monitor punctuality closely. Every week, the Attendance Team will identify students that have been late on multiple occasions each week. We ask that you address these concerns with your child or reach out to the Attendance Team if you are having issues getting your child to school on time.

Can I take my child on holiday during term time?

Stanground Academy does not authorise family holidays during term time. Recent legislation states that leave of absence requests for ‘leisure or recreation’ are not deemed exceptional circumstances and are considered a family holiday. As such, these requests will be recorded with the same unauthorised code.

Term dates are available on the website two years in advance to enable planning and booking of appointments, events and holidays in advance. If you choose to take your child on holiday during term time, you may be subject to a Fixed Penalty Notice issued by Peterborough City Council.

How do I request an exceptional Leave of Absence?

We understand that there may be events which you would like to attend that are unexpected and have no control over, for example, a funeral. In circumstances such as these, you must request a leave of absence, in advance, to enquiries@stangroundacademy.org, providing as much detail as possible along with supporting evidence. This will be passed to the Executive Principal to consider the request. Previous requests for leave of absence and attendance will be taken into consideration when deciding on authorisation.

Regulated performances and national/ international sporting events will also be considered for authorisation providing sufficient evidence is provided. Applications should be made the same way as other leave of absence requests.