At Hexham Priory School, we are committed to providing the best possible education for all our pupils. Regular attendance plays a crucial role in ensuring their success, and we appreciate your ongoing support in promoting good attendance and punctuality.
Regular attendance is especially important in a specialist setting, where continuity, routine, and structured support help our pupils thrive. However, we acknowledge that pupils may occasionally need to be absent for justifiable reasons. During these times, we kindly ask for your support in following our safeguarding procedures regarding pupil attendance, which we have outlined below for your reference.
Reporting Absence
We kindly ask that parents or carers notify the school of a pupil’s absence before 8:00 AM on each day of absence, providing the pupil’s name, class, and the reason for their absence. Please call 01434 605021 to report a pupil absence and, if possible, in addition inform the class team via Class dojo.
Unexplained Absences
If a pupil’s absence is not reported and we are unable to establish the reason by 9:30 AM, we will make attempts to contact you in order to establish a reason for absence.
Safeguarding Protocol
If we have not made contact by 11:30 AM, we will follow our safeguarding procedures, which would involve a welfare check through a home visit.
All home visits are conducted by two staff members and are recorded in our school systems.
If, after a home visit, we are still unable to establish the reason for the absence, we have a responsibility to report the situation to the relevant safeguarding hub.
We hope you understand that these procedures are in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all pupils. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding should we need to carry out a home visit in the interest of safeguarding.
If you are experiencing any barriers to attendance, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always happy to work with you to find solutions that support your child’s needs.
The Eden Academy Trust also provides practical guidance to help establish routines, reduce stress, and create a positive, accessible school experience. You can explore their available resources here.
