Student Medical & Personal Appointments

At St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy, we are committed to maximising learning time while ensuring robust pupil safeguarding.

To streamline attendance processing and eliminate mid-lesson classroom disruptions, all routine medical, dental, optician, and personal appointment notifications must be submitted online.

How to Submit an Appointment Notification

Please notify the school at least 24 hours in advance of any planned appointment by completing our secure digital form: 👉 CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A STUDENT APPOINTMENT NOTIFICATION

(Link connects directly to our secure Microsoft Form)

Important Information for Parents & Carers

• Appointment Details Required: As part of the online submission, you will be asked to provide the appointment/reference details, including the date and time of the appointment and any relevant booking or reference information. If supporting evidence is required, this can be provided electronically or brought to Main Reception in person. If the information provided is insufficient, a member of the Attendance Team may contact you for further details or evidence.
• Attendance Team Processing: Once the form has been submitted, the information will be reviewed by the Attendance Team and, where appropriate, the pupil’s Arbor MIS records will be updated to reflect the appointment and authorised absence.
• On the Day of the Appointment: Please ensure that your child is aware of the arrangements for leaving school. Where the relevant staff have been notified, your child may be asked to make their own way to Main Reception at the specified departure time. Where staff have not been notified or the pupil cannot safely be released independently, a member of staff may need to collect them from their lesson. Please allow sufficient time for this process when making your appointment.
• Front Desk Check-Out: To ensure student safety, all collecting adults must present photo ID at reception before leaving with the student. Staff will verify your details against the submission log before signing the pupil out.

If you have an urgent, last-minute emergency appointment that cannot be submitted 24 hours in advance, please contact the Attendance Team directly via the main school office.

Every pupil at St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy should try to maintain an attendance level of 97% and above, in line with Government expectations.  It is the responsibility of everyone in our school community – parents, carers, pupils, staff, and governors to ensure they achieve this.  Therefore, we monitor and review the attendance of all pupils constantly.

“Absences add up! Missing just 2 days a month means a child misses 10% of the school year.”  Our whole School Attendance Target for 2025/26 is 97%.

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At St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy, we are very aware of the link between good attendance and good progress.  Research has shown that the lower the attendance of a learner, the lower the GCSE grade at the end of Year 11.  Less than 95% attendance every year in school equals a 1 grade difference across ALL GCSE grades. As a result, we have set our school target for attendance at 97% and expect all learners to achieve this.  Additionally, this is useful preparation for the workplace, where an absence rate of 5% or above would be considered a cause for concern.

If a learner does not attend school or is not taking part in an approved educational activity, they are classed as ABSENT from school.  This means that if your child is off school for any reason, even if they are ill or have medical permission to be off school, they are still classed as ABSENT.

100% Attendance = 190 days at school

8 days absence is 96%

12 days absence is 94%

19 days absence is 90%

29 days absence is 85%

38 days absence is 80%

47 days absence is 75%

Our Y11 students who undertook GCSE examinations in 2025 proved that attendance matters.  Those students who attended a minimum of 97% achieved on average a Grade 6 or higher.  See the table below.

What is classed as Persistent Absence?

Persistent Absence is classed as any absence that equates to over 10% of the academic year at any given time.  Any learner who appears on the persistent absence list may be monitored by St Helens School Attendance Services.  The thresholds are set out below:

Close of 1st half-term:  3.5 days in total

Close of 2nd half-term:  7 days in total

Close of 3rd half-term:  10 days in total

Close of 4th half-term:  12.5 days in total

Close of 5th half-term:  15.5 days in total

Close of 6th half-term:  19 days in total

Rewards for getting it right!

By having attendance on or above 97% or significantly improving attendance throughout the year, your child will qualify for a range of attendance rewards during each half term.  This will include but is not limited to; individual/ group/year group rewards, and each term there will be an opportunity to qualify for an attendance reward activity.

What can parents/carers do to ensure good attendance? 

• • Ensure your child attends every day, on time, equipped and ready to learn.
  • Ensure school has up to date addresses and telephone numbers.
  • Contact school the first morning of absence by 8:30am to provide your reason for absence.
    • Tel:  01744 678112 – Select Option 2 – Student Absence
  • Contact the school each day of absence until your child returns to school.
  • The school is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not and whether to authorise or unauthorise the absence.
  • Ensure medical appointments are made outside of school time.  If this is not possible, your child needs to be in school prior to and after the appointment.  We will need medical evidence upon their return.
  • Holiday requests during term time will not be authorised.  Parents who take their children out of school for a holiday may be issued with a Penalty Notice.
  • Contact school if you are having trouble getting your child into school and we can look to put the appropriate support in to place.
  • Work with the school and any other agency to resolve any difficulties which may affect regular school attendance.

Compulsory hours are from 08:30 to 15:00

School is open for a total of 32.5 hours per week

Academic Progress

Arriving just 5–10 minutes late each day can lead to missed instructions, reduced confidence, and disrupted learning. The Department for Education has shown a clear link between good punctuality and strong academic outcomes.

Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing

Routine matters for children’s mental health. When students arrive on time, they settle more quickly, feel more connected to their peers, and start the day in a calmer frame of mind. Studies by the Education Endowment Foundation and the Anna Freud Centre highlight that structure and predictability in the school day are powerful protective factors for young people’s emotional wellbeing. Arriving late, on the other hand, can often leave students feeling anxious, flustered, or out of sync and this can affect their whole day.

Habits for Life

We also know that turning up on time is a key life skill. Whether it’s college, work, or an apprenticeship, employers value punctuality and reliability. Helping our students build this habit now is one of the many ways we can support their future success.

Working Together

We’re always here to help. If there’s something making punctuality difficult for your family, please let us know. We’ll do what we can to support you, whether that’s through conversation, guidance, or practical help.