Attendance

Every Day in School Matters - Aiming for 100% Attendance

School attendance is mandatory for all pupils of compulsory school age and it is a priority to ensure that your child attends school as regularly as possible.

At William Hulme’s Grammar School, we believe that regular school attendance and punctuality is the key to enabling children to maximise the educational opportunities available to them. We expect every student to achieve a minimum of 96% attendance and strive for 100% during an academic year.

Students who attend 96% and above have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. If a student has an attendance figure of 90% or below, they are categorised as a persistent absentee and their attendance is a cause for concern.

Attendance Percentage	Days Missed	Weeks Missed	Hours Missed
100	0	0	0
95	9.5	1.5	57
90	19	3	114
85	28.5	4.5	171
80	38	6	228

17 days of absence over the year often means a drop in a GCSE grade in all subjects.

Regular face-to-face education enables all pupils to fulfil their potential. 

Punctuality

The Importance of Punctuality

At William Hulme’s Grammar School, all pupils are expected to arrive on time for every day of the academic year. The school day begins at: Secondary Phase = 8.30am / Primary Phase = 8.40am. We advise all parents to ensure their child is on site before these times to ensure a punctual start.

If your child arrives after the register is closed without a valid reason they will be recorded as code U for the morning session. This counts as unauthorised absence. Repeated arrival after the close of registration will result in monitoring by the Attendance Team and/or referral to an appropriate external agency for targeted support and may also in turn, lead to legal action being taken against the parent/s.

Absences (FAQs)

What if my child is ill?

If your child is ill please contact the school before 08:30 informing us of your child’s full name, their form, what is wrong with them and what date you expect them to return to school. Please do this every morning that they are absent.

What if my child has a medical condition?

Pupils with medical conditions will be supported so that they have full access to education and are expected to maximise their attendance at every opportunity.

Individual Healthcare plans will be used in consultation with parents and appropriate professionals to effectively support pupils with medical conditions.

What if they have an appointment?

Wherever possible we would ask that appointments are made outside of school time.

If your appointment is likely to last the whole day, please write to enquiries@whgs-academy.org telling us your child’s name, their form, what their appointment is and how long it will take. The principal will inform you whether this absence is approved or not.

For medical or dental appointments, we expect students to return to school promptly afterwards and for parents to contact us. Where possible, we ask parents to present an appointment card to school reception upon their child’s return, showing the time their child attended their appointment.

What if my child needs to go abroad?

You should also be aware that taking too much time off school can result in your child losing their school place. Should your child lose their place here, you will be required to apply to the Local Authority for readmission to William Hulme’s Grammar School. It is unlikely that your child will be readmitted to William Hulme’s Grammar School due to the high demand for places.

You can write to the principal to request leave of absence; this should be done 4 weeks prior to departure. Absence will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances, in most cases, absences are not approved.

If your child accrues 10 consecutive sessions (equal to five days) of unauthorised absence, you may be liable for a penalty notice.

What if my child needs to be off for Religious Reasons?

No more than one day will be designated for any individual occasion of religious observance or festival and no more than three days, in total, in any academic year. Any further absence will be categorised as unauthorised. In such cases the school may request that a penalty notice is issued.

School Day and Times