Attendance
At Grace College, we know that good attendance is essential if students are to achieve well, feel part of the College community and make the most of every opportunity available to them. Every day in school matters. Being here regularly supports learning, relationships, routines, wellbeing and, importantly, helps us to know that our students are safe. Our ambition is for every student to achieve at least 97% attendance.
We know that there can be genuine barriers to attendance and, where these arise, our approach is to work closely with students and families to understand what is getting in the way and put the right support in place. At the same time, we are clear about the importance of regular attendance and the impact that absence can have over time.
Attendance is everyone’s responsibility. Tutors, Heads of Year, the Attendance Team and senior leaders all play a part in noticing patterns early, celebrating good attendance and making sure that concerns are followed up quickly. We want families to feel able to contact us when support is needed so that we can work together before difficulties become more established.
Mrs C Beeckmans
Senior Attendance Lead
Miss R Winchester
VP and Senior Attendance Champion
Mrs J Graham
Attendance Administrator
Shown below are the most frequently asked questions by parents.
What are the College opening times?
The College opens at 8.00am, with Breakfast Club available from this time in the dining hall. The compulsory College day starts at 8.30am, when students must be in their tutor room or their designated morning activity ready for registration. Lessons begin at 9.15am. The College day ends at 3.20pm Monday to Thursday and 2.30pm on Friday, followed by our co-curricular programme.
How do I report my child's absence from College?
If your child is absent, you must contact the College on every day of absence, as early as possible and before 8.15am. Please phone 0191 442 2000 and ask to speak to a member of the Attendance Team. Please provide your child’s name, year group and the reason for their absence.
Where can I find information about College holidays?
Term dates and College holidays are published on the College website. We ask families to check these dates carefully before arranging holidays or other commitments.
Where can I find information about compulsary College events?
Details of compulsory College events will be communicated to parents and carers in advance through our usual College communication channels.
How will I be informed if there is an enforced College closure?
Where the College has to close unexpectedly, parents and carers will be informed as quickly as possible through our usual communication systems, including MCAS.
Where do I find a Leave of Absence Form?
Requests for leave of absence should be made in advance using the College Leave of Absence Form which can be found here. Leave during term time will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances and each request will be considered individually.
How we celebrate good attendance
We want students to see that attending regularly and making positive choices every day matters. Good attendance is therefore recognised as part of our wider rewards system.
Students can earn Consistency Points each week, including 5 points for achieving 100% attendance. These points contribute towards our weekly Perfect 10 prize draw, Sweet Success rewards at the end of each half term and our larger Celebration Events at the end of each term.
We also recognise improvement. For some students, making significant progress with their attendance can take real effort, and we want that effort to be noticed and celebrated too.
Our aim is simple: to work with families, remove barriers where we can, maintain high expectations and make sure that every student is in school as often as possible, learning, belonging and making progress.