Attendance

Every day matters

At Meridian High School, we want every student to attend school regularly, arrive on time and feel that they belong.

Being in school every day gives students the best opportunity to learn, build friendships, develop confidence and take part fully in school life. When students miss school, they miss much more than lessons. Regular attendance means students don’t miss out on important lessons, knowledge, and skills that build over time. It also helps them stay connected with their friends, develop good routines, and take full advantage of the opportunities school offers. Every day in school matters- strong attendance leads to stronger progress, greater confidence, and more choices for the future.

We know that there can sometimes be genuine barriers to attendance. If your child is finding it difficult to attend school, please speak to us as early as possible. We are here to help.

Reporting an absence

If your child is unable to attend school, a parent or carer must contact us on the first day of absence, as early as possible.

To report an absence:

Telephone: 020 3943 1328
Please ask to speak to the Attendance Office.

Email: attendance@meridianhigh.london

Please tell us:

your child's full name and year group;
the reason for the absence;
if they are unwell, what symptoms they have; and
when you expect them to return to school, if known.

If your child remains absent, please contact the school each subsequent day unless another arrangement has been agreed with the Attendance Team.

If we have not received an explanation for your child's absence, we will contact you. This is an important part of our attendance and safeguarding procedures.

Any other issues or concerns should be made to your child's form tutor, who will deal with these in the first instance.

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Arriving at school on time

Being punctual means students begin the day calmly, attend tutor time and are ready for their first lesson.

Students must be on site and in their tutor group room by 8:40am.

Tutor time begins at 8:450am.

Students arriving after 8:40am without an agreed reason will receive a 60-minute same-day detention.

The morning attendance register closes at 9:10am. Where a student arrives after the register has closed without a valid reason, this is recorded as an unauthorised absence for the morning session (U code).

Persistent lateness will be followed up by the Attendance Team and parents or carers may be invited into school so that we can agree how punctuality can be improved.

How much school is being missed?

Attendance percentages can sometimes hide just how much education a student has missed.

Attendance at Meridian Matters

A student who misses 10% or more of their possible school sessions is nationally classified as persistently absent.

We monitor attendance carefully so that we can identify concerns early and work with students and families before absence becomes more difficult to address.

If your child is unwell

Children should attend school whenever they are well enough to do so.

Minor illnesses such as a cough, cold, sore throat or headache do not usually require a child to stay at home if they are otherwise well.

If your child is too unwell to attend, please report the absence to school as early as possible and let us know the reason.

If you are unsure whether your child should attend school, please refer to the NHS guidance below.

NHS – Is my child too ill for school?

We understand not every illness can be evidenced by a medical professional. However, we may ask for further information where absence is repeated or prolonged, or where this would help us understand and support your child's needs.

Leave of absence during term time

Parents and carers do not have an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time.

The Headteacher may only grant a leave of absence where there are exceptional circumstances. Each request must be considered individually, taking account of the specific circumstances and the amount of school time that would be missed.

Examples of requests might include significant family circumstances, religious observance, bereavement, participation in an approved activity or other exceptional events. Supporting information may be requested where appropriate.

Any request for leave should be made before the absence takes place and, wherever possible, at least four weeks in advance.

Leave of Absence Request – Meridian High School – Fill out form

Term-time holidays

A family holiday would not normally be considered an exceptional circumstance and should not be booked during term time.

Reasons such as cheaper travel, preferred flights or accommodation, avoiding school holiday prices, or a belief that airports, flights or destinations will be less busy during term time would not normally make a holiday exceptional.

Where a request relates to a child with SEND, the individual circumstances will be considered carefully. However, a preference to travel during term time because it is felt to be more manageable or convenient would not, on its own, amount to an exceptional circumstance.

Parents should not make travel arrangements until permission has been granted.

Where leave is not authorised and a student is absent, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and may lead to a referral to Croydon Council for a penalty notice or other legal action.

Medical and dental appointments

Wherever possible, routine medical and dental appointments should be arranged outside school hours.

We understand that this is not always possible. Where an appointment must take place during the school day, students should normally attend school before and/or after the appointment rather than missing the whole day.

We may ask to see confirmation of the appointment where appropriate.

Finding attendance difficult?

There can be many reasons why a young person finds attending school difficult. These might include:

anxiety or emotional wellbeing;
friendship or bullying concerns;
SEND or additional needs;
medical difficulties;
family circumstances;
transport or morning routines; or
concerns about learning or school.

Please talk to us.

We will listen to the student and family, try to understand the barriers to attendance and agree practical next steps.

Depending on the circumstances, support might involve the student's tutor or pastoral team, the SEND team, safeguarding or wellbeing support, an attendance plan, Early Help or work with other services.

Our aim is always to identify difficulties early, remove barriers where we can and work in partnership with families to improve attendance.

Unauthorised absence

An absence will be recorded as unauthorised where there is no acceptable reason for the absence, where the school has not received an explanation, or where leave has been taken without permission.

This can include arriving after the register has closed without a valid reason.

If a student is in school but deliberately misses lessons, this will be treated as truancy and addressed through our behaviour procedures. Parents and carers will be informed where we have concerns about truancy.

What we will do

promote good attendance and punctuality;
monitor attendance regularly and identify concerns early;
contact parents promptly about unexplained absence;
speak with students and families to understand barriers to attendance;
recognise improvements as well as high attendance;
provide or signpost appropriate support;
work with the local authority and other agencies where additional support is required; and
use formal or legal intervention where support has not been successful, has not been engaged with, or is not appropriate.
follow the DfE guidance for attendance

What we ask parents and carers to do

Please:

ensure your child attends school every day they are able to;
make sure they arrive on time;
contact us promptly whenever they are absent;
arrange routine appointments outside school hours wherever possible;
avoid taking holidays during term time;
keep your contact details up to date; and
talk to us early if there is anything making attendance difficult.

Working together gives every Meridian student the best chance to Challenge, Learn and Achieve.

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Unauthorised absence and penalty notices

Schools are required to consider whether further action is appropriate when unauthorised absence reaches the national threshold.

The national threshold is 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a rolling period of 10 school weeks. Ten sessions are equivalent to five school days. The sessions do not have to be consecutive and can include different types of unauthorised absence, including unauthorised lateness after the register has closed.

For unauthorised term-time leave, Croydon Council may also consider a penalty notice where five school days (10 sessions) or more have been taken without the school's permission.

Where a penalty notice is issued:

the first penalty notice is £160 per parent, per child, reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days;
a second penalty notice for the same child within three years is £160 per parent, per child, with no reduced rate; and
if the threshold is met for a third time within three years, another penalty notice will not normally be issued and other legal action may be considered.

Attendance concerns do not automatically lead to a penalty notice. Where appropriate, we will work with families to understand the reasons for absence and provide support before legal intervention is considered.

Key contacts:

Staff member	Role	Email address
Mrs Friend	Senior Attendance Officer and Safeguarding lead	m.friend@meridianhigh.london
Mrs Wilson	Attendance Officer	v.wilson@meridianhigh.london
Miss Tatcha	Attendance Officer	wtatcha1@meridianhigh.london
Ms Culverhouse	Family Liaison Officer	j.culverhouse@meridianhigh.london
Mrs Watson	Designated Safeguarding Lead and Senior Leader who oversees attendance and safeguarding	g.watson@meridianhigh.london