Securing excellent attendance and punctuality makes a significant contribution to securing excellent academic achievement. Our expectations in relation to attendance can be found in our Student Attendance Policy on our Policies page.  Confirmation of our term dates can be found on our Calendar page.
Confirmation of lesson timings can be found on our School Day page.

Why Attendance Matters

Consistent attendance is essential for success and every lesson counts. Missing even a small amount of time can lead to gaps in understanding because lessons build on each other so regular attendance ensures students stay up to date with content, coursework, and exam preparation. Good attendance reflects maturity, commitment, resilience, and readiness for your future. Being present means students can access academic help, pastoral care, and careers advice when they need it. Attendance records are considered when writing references for Sixth Form, Colleges, universities and Employment because high attendance shows reliability, consideration, resilience and a strong work ethic. Regular attendance helps students stay connected with peers and staff, contributing to a positive and productive learning environment and helps build strong friendships and support.

What is Good Attendance?

Parents and students should know their current Attendance and should be working with the school to ensure this is the best to can be for their individual circumstances.

Our minimum expected target for all students is 96%.

All students whose attendance is below 90% are classified as Persistent Absentees and will be placed on Attendance Procedures if deemed necessary by the Attendance Team. If a child continues to not attend regularly and on time, then Latimer Arts College might refer the case to the Education inclusion Partnership Team which may result in a FPN (Fine)

Our attendance team are here to support you in supporting your children to obtain the best possible Attendance and future success, if you have any concerns or queries, please contact Hannah Todd, Attendance Manager on  Htodd@latimer.org.uk

The school has an automatic messaging service that will notify parents and carers if a student fails to register. This will come from ‘Compass Chronicle’

If your child is going to be absent, on the first day and each subsequent day before 8am either:

• Send an email to: absence@latimer.org.uk 
• Adding an Attendance note on the Compass App

Please state your child’s name, form, reason for absence and expected date of return. Please contact the school at the start of each subsequent day of illness before 8am.

All correspondence about prearranged absences should be directed to the Attendance Team. Should you send written communication into school, your child should hand this to the Attendance Team at the start of the day.  Please make sure the letter contains your child's name, form and the specific dates of absences, as well as the reason for the absence. Leave of absence forms can be collected from Student Services or a digital copy can be found here.

For Medical Appointments, please provide evidence of this prior to the appointment day, if we don’t receive evidence of appointment, we may not be able to authorise it.

If a student has 3 days off consecutively, then a home visit may be conducted to check in with the student by someone from our Attendance or Pastoral team.  

Authorising Absences

The decision to authorise an absence lies with the school, based on DFE guidance. Absences for the following will not typically be authorised:

• Looking after younger siblings/family members
• Staying at home for deliveries
• Shopping
• Having a birthday
• Oversleeping
• general trips: concerts, shopping, matches etc.
• Truancy/refusal
• persistent minor illnesses without the support of medical evidence
• absence attributed to illness over an extended period of time without accompanying medical evidence.
• visits to relatives/friends
• holidays
• moving house
• absence awaiting contact from the school with regards to alleged bullying incidents or SEND assistance.
• No communication from home about absence

Leave of Absence

It is important that we remind you that, under DfE rules, headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Parents and carers may be given a fixed term penalty notice (PN) for taking their child on holiday during term time without consent from the school. These penalties can range from at least £80 and above and are payable within 28 days. Each parent and carer may be fined for each individual child. Penalties are imposed by North Northants Council (NNC) and the monies collected do not come to the school.

The amount of the penalty to be paid under a penalty notice issued to a parent under section 444A(1) of the 1996 Act is as follows.

Where no penalty notice has been issued to the parent under section 444A(1) of the 1996 Act in respect of the same child in the preceding three-year period, the amount of the penalty is...

• £80, where the amount is paid within the period of 21 days beginning with the date on which the notice is received;
• £160, Where a penalty notice has been issued to the parent under section 444A(1) of the 1996 Act in respect of the same child in the preceding three-year period, the amount of the penalty is £160.
• “Preceding three-year period” means the period of three years ending with the date on which the penalty notice is issued.

Unauthorised holidays which result in absences of 10 school sessions (the equivalent of 5 days) or more may be referred for fixed term penalties. For more details please read the NCC Brief Guide to Penalty Notices.

It follows that The Latimer Arts College will not authorise leave of absence for holidays. Absences will only be granted for exceptional circumstances with approval from the Principal following submission of a Leave of Absence request form.

If you wish to request a leave of absence form, please contact Student Services or download a digital copy here

 

Late Procedure

Students are expected to be in their period 1 lesson by 8:30am.

Arriving after 8:30am will result in students receiving a ‘Late’ mark.

Arriving after 9:00am will result in students being marked as ‘Arriving late after registers have closed’ which will impact upon their overall attendance negatively.

Good Attendance at The Latimer Arts College

We reward those students whose attendance is good or showing signs of significant improvement.

We use a range of awards for good or improving Attendance as an incentive to support our students. Please keep a look out on our social media pages for information.

Regular attendance of students is closely related to their levels of achievement. This makes regular attendance extremely important. We understand that some students may find school a struggle, but we are here to help and support. If you need support, then please email Hannah Todd, our Attendance Manager on Htodd@latimer.org.uk

Tips to Improve Attendance

1. Establish a Routine
   Prepare all items needed for the next day, go to bed and wake up at consistent times. A solid morning routine helps avoid lateness and missed days.
2. Stay Organised
   Use planners or digital calendars to track deadlines, lessons, and enrichment activities. Knowing what’s coming up helps reduce stress and avoid absences. Set reminders to prepare items needed before the event.
3. Communicate Early
   If you're struggling with something, Please reach out and speak to a Hannah Todd, Our Attendance Manager on Htodd@latimer.org.uk . Early support can prevent attendance from slipping.
4. Set Goals
   Having clear academic or career goals can boost motivation. Remember why they are here and what they are working towards. Make a plan with them on how they are going to get to their goals and what they need to do to achieve these, break these down into manageable tasks to stop them feeling overwhelming.  
5. Minimise Distractions
   Avoid scheduling appointments during school hours. Prioritise their education during term time. You get 13 weeks off a year, weekends and after school to attend appointments and while we understand some are unavoidable to book outside of school hours, please try where possible to limit the amount of lesson time missing.
6. Celebrate Progress
   Recognise and reward their consistency. Give them a pat on the back. Small rewards at home to promote good Attendance are a great incentive. ‘

The Data

100%- Attendance. GREAT!

95%- 9 Days Absence in a year. Slight concern.

90%- 19 Days of Absence in a year. Considered persistently Absent, very concerning.

85%- 28 Days of Absence in a year. Extremely concerning, Parents will be invited into a meeting with the Attendance Manager.