Regular school attendance is important and we will actively pursue the goal of regular attendance.
Please ensure you contact school by 9am if your child is going to be absent. Students should arrive at school by 8.25am when the bell will sound for registration.
Please report your child’s absence from school via text to:
When you text to inform us that your child is absent from school, please give us the following details:
Example messages: "Fiona unwell today, sore throat and temperature", or "Bill has Physio appointment at 10.30 on 11th April. Expects to be back at school at 12."
Please keep the message brief, if we need further information, we will contact you.
You will need to text us each day that your child is absent.
Please note that the mobile number above only accepts texts and not voicemails. This number should only be used for messages relating to absence.
If you are unable to text, please report the absence via email: attendance@wgswitney.org.uk
If you are unable to text, please report absence via email: sixthform@wgswitney.org.uk
If your child is marked absent at registration and we haven't heard from you about their absences, you will receive a text alert. Post-registration absences can also be detected and reported to you. We are also able to text parents about unexplained absences.
As a school we are meeting the Government’s recommendations by contacting you on the first day of your child's absence. As always your child's safety is our main concern.
Please notify the school if you update your mobile, work numbers and/or email address. Please ensure that we have the correct contact details for you by updating them on My Child at School under the Data Collection Form.
We need to be certain that your child is in or out of school for safety reasons, e.g. in the unlikely event of a fire. If for any reason your child arrives later than the end of registration then they should go to Student Services to sign in. If you know that your child will be late please text school to report this.
Similarly students leaving early, e.g. for an appointment, should sign out at Student Services please text school to report this in advance. We ask that you inform us of such arrangements beforehand so that the Attendance Officer is aware.
Please try not to take children out of school in term time e.g. book medical and dental appointments for outside of school hours whenever possible, and avoid taking family holidays in term-time.
If Parents/Carers need to request leave during term time, please use the following form and return it to the Attendance Officer at school.
Application for Leave of Absence during Term Time
Please view the WGS Letter for Unauthorised Absences for Holiday during Term Time Sept 2023 with regards to referrals to County Attendance Team to issue Penalty Fines for absences from school for the purpose of holidays during term time without authorisation from school.
The County Attendance Team have produced a 'Parents Guide to Managing Sickness Absence from school', please click here to view this as it contains lots of useful information.
The Chief Medical Officers have sent a letter to schools including the following guidance:
“There is wide agreement among health professionals and educational professionals that school attendance is vital to the life chances of children and young people. Being in school improves health, wellbeing and socialisation throughout the life course. The greatest benefits come from children and young people attending school regularly.”
You can read the whole letter here
We recognise that deciding if your child is well enough is often a challenge and you may find this NHS guidance helpful, please click here to find out more.
For more information please refer to the WGS Attendance Policy on the policies page of our website.
Updated: September 2023
