At Great Missenden School, we believe that excellent attendance is essential for every child to achieve their full potential. Being in school every day helps children build strong friendships, develop positive learning habits, and make the most of the opportunities we provide.

As part of the Great Learners Trust, we follow the trust-wide Attendance Policy, available on the Trust website. This ensures a consistent, fair, and supportive approach across all Trust schools.

Reporting Absence

If your child is unable to attend school:

• Please contact the school office by 9.00am on each day of absence.
• For unplanned absences (e.g. illness), please let us know the reason.
• For absences lasting more than 5 days, repeated short absences, or where we have concerns, we may request simple medical evidence (e.g. appointment card, prescription, GP note)

Planned Absence

• Please arrange appointments outside school hours whenever possible.
• If during school time, children should miss only the minimum required.
• Term-time leave must be requested in advance through the office.
• Term-time holidays cannot be authorised.
• The headteacher will approve leave only in exceptional circumstances.

Lateness

Arriving on time helps children start the day calmly and ready to learn.

• Pupils arriving after the register opens will be marked as late.
• Pupils arriving after the register closes will be marked as unauthorised absence.
• If lateness becomes a pattern, we will work with families to understand the reasons and provide support.

Support for Families

We work closely with parents to improve attendance where needed. Support may include:

• Individualised attendance plans
• Pastoral or wellbeing support
• Adjusted timetables or reintegration plans
• Meetings with parents to understand barriers
• Home visits where appropriate

Celebrating Attendance

We celebrate both good and improving attendance to encourage positive routines and promote a happy, motivated school community.

Monitoring Attendance

We review attendance regularly. If concerns arise, we will contact parents/ carers to discuss support and next steps. Persistent absence is followed up according to Trust policy and may involve the County Attendance Team or other agencies where appropriate. We actively support parents and carers in meeting their responsibility to ensure pupils attend school regularly and arrive punctually.

Further Information

For full details, please see the Great Learners Trust Attendance Policy on the Trust website. If you have any questions or need support, please contact the school office — we are always here to help.

Absence Request Form

Medical/Dental Appointment Requests

Medical/Dental Appointments should be arranged outside of school hours. However, we accept that this is not always possible.  Please inform the school in advance of such appointments by completing this form.
 
On the day of the appointment, please collect/return your child from the office so that they can sign in/out. 

Medical/Dental Appointment Request Form