Attendance
Our Senior Leadership Attendance Champion is Mr Callum Payne, Assistant Headteacher – c.payne@sst.viat.org.uk
Coming to school every day is important for your child's future – both for social and academic progress but also as good preparation for the world of work. Parents and carers are responsible for making sure their children receive full-time education by going to school.
At SST Maidstone, gates open 7.45am. At 8.30am, registers are taken and pupils/students arriving after this time will be marked as late.
If your child is absent from school, you must notify the school office by email or telephone (email) of the reason for the absence by 9am and confirm the reason for absence by email or letter when your child returns to school. If your child is ill, it is important that you call the school on the first day, and each subsequent day, to notify us of the reason for the absence.
Students should return to school when they are well enough to continue their studies, with an aim to reduce the number of hours of lost learning.
Repeated lateness or absences will be followed up by the Inclusion team.
For medical or dental appointments, we request that, where possible, these take place outside the school day. If this is not possible, we request that you inform the school at the earliest opportunity. You may be asked to provide a copy of your appointment confirmation. Children will not be released from school during school hours without an advance request notification.
Holidays are not permitted during term time and any other requested absences will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. All requests must be made in writing giving full details of the reason why the leave is needed to attendance@sst.viat.org.uk
Good attendance at school is not just valuable, it is essential. Going to school helps to develop friendships, social skills, team values, life skills, cultural awareness, and career pathways. It is also directly linked to improved academic performance, further learning opportunities and good job prospects.
We celebrate good attendance at school by regular certificates of 100% attendance.
If parents/carers are struggling with any aspect of attendance, we would like to know, so that we can support you in the best way we can. Please do not be afraid to ask us for advice and support.
We look forward to working with you and supporting one another to ensure good attendance for your child. If you have any questions, or wish to discuss attendance, please contact your child’s Form Tutor, Head of Year, Student Support Manager or Mr Gabell, our Attendance and Inclusion Manager.
Thank you in advance for supporting our drive for good attendance.
