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At Seaford Head School, we aim for an environment which enables and encourages all members of the community to achieve their best. For our students to be able to gain the most from their education it is vital they attend school, on time, every day unless the reason for absence is unavoidable. We expect all students to be aiming for 100% attendance.
Helping to create a pattern of regular attendance is everybody’s responsibility – parents/carers, students and all members of school staff.
Seaford Head School expect all parents/carers to promote good attendance.
Students with attendance of less than 95% are monitored closely by the Pastoral Team (Attendance Manager and Assistant Heads of Year).
Contact the Attendance Team:
Attendance Manager
Mrs P Haigh-Stephens – Patriciahaigh-stephens@seafordhead.org
Education Welfare Officer-
Mrs J Owen – joanneowen@seafordhead.org
Your child’s Assistant Head of Year:
Ms E Gallagher – emmagallagher@seafordhead.org (Year 7)
Miss E Phillips – elliephillips@seafordhead.org (Year 8)
Mrs T Mason – tinamason@seafordhead.org (Year 9)
Mrs E Fleming – evefleming@seafordhead.org (Year 10)
Mrs S Moloney – sarahmoloney@seafordhead.org (Year 11)
If your child is absent it is the parent/carer’s responsibility to contact us by 8.15am on the absence line every day of your child’s absence or via Edulink.
The absence line is a 24 hour answer phone and messages are checked from 7.00am each day. Please leave your child’s full name, Tutor group and brief reason for absence. If no reason is given the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and you will be contacted asking for more details.
Absence line number number – 01323 872728.
Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Seaford Head School seeks to ensure that all its students receive a full-time education which maximizes opportunities for each student to realise their true potential both socially and academically.
Over a period of five school years, a student with 90% attendance will have missed half of a whole year of schooling. Similarly, students with poor punctuality miss valuable lesson time and, if it happens regularly, progress will be jeopardised.
Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no authorisation has been given. This type of absence can lead to sanctions and/or legal proceedings.
Unauthorised absence includes:
We cannot guarantee that we will authorise a student’s leave of absence during term time, as this is only done in exceptional circumstances. If you don’t get permission from the Headteacher, the absence is classed as ‘unauthorised’. If you want to see if an absence can be authorised, you must contact school in advance and get permission from the Headteacher.
We keep parents/carers up to date with their child’s attendance and confirm absences with them; this makes sure students are supported in their progress.
Our Attendance Team work really hard to support students and often identify patterns of non-attendance. They will always work with parents and carers to understand these patterns and see how they can be improved.
If you are concerned about your child’s school attendance, it is always best to talk to us first. We have a dedicated Attendance team who are here to help students and families.
Students with attendance of less than 95% are monitored closely by the Pastoral Team (Attendance Manager and Student Support Officers).
Contact the Attendance Team:
Mrs P Haigh-Stephens – Patriciahaigh-stephens@seafordhead.org
Education Welfare Officer-
Mrs J Owen – joanneowen@seafordhead.org
Your child’s Student Support Officer:
Ms E Gallagher – emmagallagher@seafordhead.org (Year 7)
Miss E Phillips – elliephillips@seafordhead.org(Year 8)
Mrs T Mason – tinamason@seafordhead.org (Year 9)
Mrs E Fleming – evefleming@seafordhead.org (Year 10)
Mrs S Maloney – sarah maloney@seafordhead.org (Year 11)
Weekly attendance for all year groups can be found on the Parent/Carer Newsletter that is issued every Friday click here for this week’s edition.
Should you have exceptional reasons to withdraw your child from their education for a period of time you will need to fill out the East Sussex County Council Withdrawal from Learning Application form. You can use the link to download this form or can collect from either reception.
Information regarding Penalty Notices that may be issued by East Sussex County Council are also available here.
For more about the detailed regulations, procedures and legislation governing penalty notices, please read the Code of Conduct and Parents FAQ’s on the East Sussex County Council’s website using this link.
East Sussex County Council attendance campaign leaflet can be found here.
