Change to Morning Late coming Procedures Starting Monday

Change to Morning Late coming Procedures Starting Monday 18 April 2016

Why we should come to school on time Punctuality is a skill for : • Learning: school, classes, course work , portfolio, assessment deadlines, college, university……. • Life: appointments, social events, meetings, respect for other people and their time • Work: no employer tolerates employees not turning up for work on time. They are dismissed.

S 1 -S 3 Pupils- late in the morning • Come into school via the main/front door • Automatic 15 minute lunch time detention in ML 6 that same day. • Late coming detentions will be from 12. 45 pm- 1 pm ( assuming most pupils take a few minutes to get to ML 6) • Your parent/carer will receive a text “Your child was late for school today and has been instructed to attend for 15 minutes detention 12. 45 pm- 1 pm” • If you fail to attend lunch time detention then you are referred to Guidance and further action put in place.

S 4 -S 6 pupils- late in the morning Late coming will result in: • Text message to your parent/ carer: “ Your child was late today. Persistent late coming will feature in references requested by potential employers and for college and university applications” • Persistent late coming ( 3 or more times per term) will result in a letter to your parent/carer informing them that any references completed by the school will now refer to your late coming

Notes from parent/carer • Pupils who arrive late and who have a note from their parent / carer providing a valid reason will not receive detention ( S 1 -S 3) or have this instance of late coming count towards persistent late coming (S 4 -S 6) • It is your responsibility to ensure that you get a note from your parent/carer or that they phone the school that morning, to provide the valid reason. • No valid note or phone call from parent/carer will result in a detention / your late coming counting towards persistent late coming ( 3 or more)

Some valid and invalid reasons for late coming Valid • Medical appointment/Emergency dental appointment • Illness • Personal/Family emergency Invalid • Missed the bus • Car broke down again! • Roadworks/ heavy traffic • Frost on parent/ carer’s car • Had to go back for my homework, keys, phone, kit…. • I live far away from the school/ out with the Grove catchment

The reason for the difference in procedures for S 1 -S 3 and S 4 -S 6 School staff and pupils (via the PRC) believe that: • S 1 -S 3 pupils need the opportunity to learn how late coming could affect their employment, apprenticeship and college and university education prospects • S 4 -S 6 pupils should have learned this and be aware of the risks to their post-school prospects of employment, college and university, if they choose to be persistently late for school

And finally • There is one way to ensure that: • You never get detention • Your references for employment, apprenticeships, college and university are not affected • Turn up on time! It is really not that hard to do. Is it? Most of us do it every day anyway.