Attendance

Attendance at Victory

  • Having good attendance at school is extremely important.
  • Our expectation is that all students’ attendance is above 97%.
  • Being absent from school means you miss out on essential parts of education, which in most cases links to underachievement.
  • Full attendance is critical if you are to make the best use of your opportunities.
  • All students have their attendance monitored rigorously, and regular communications will be sent to parents if attendance drops (see below). Where necessary we invite parents/carers in to offer support and discuss any issues.
  • Please support the Academy by sending your child to school.
  • If you fail to send your child to school, you are committing an offence under the Education Act (1996) and this may lead to a fixed penalty notice being issued. 

Attendance at school and legal intervention

The Local Authority operates a system where any pupil will meet the criteria for legal intervention if they have at least 9 sessions (4.5 school days) lost to unauthorised absence by the pupil during 6 school weeks.

The intervention could be in the form of a fixed penalty notice. Any pupil at Ormiston Victory Academy who meets the criteria, will be referred to the Local Authority for action to be considered.

If a fixed penalty notice is issued, the arrangement for the payment will be detailed on the notice. The penalty is £60 if paid within 21 days of receipt, rising to £120 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days. A parent may receive more than one separate penalty notice resulting from unauthorised absence. When penalty notices are issued each parent will receive one per child. Therefore, each parent could receive multiple notices if they have more than 1 child who has been absent. You should be aware that failure to pay the total amount within the timescale will result in legal action being taken. In some circumstances, the Norfolk County Council Attendance Team may choose not to issue a further penalty notice in the same academic year and may instead choose to prosecute a parent under the Education Act 1996 S444. There is no right of appeal by parents against a fixed penalty notice.

Please click here to download a full copy of the attendance at school and legal intervention letter.

Reporting your child absent

  • If your child is absent, due to illness, it is important that you contact us before 8:30am on the first day of absence, and on the morning of every day of absence thereafter.
  • You can report an absence the following way:
    Email:   [email protected] 
    Telephone:   01603 734156
    Electronic form:   click here
  • If your child has a medical appointment, we ask that you inform us prior to the appointment, where possible.
  • For those parents who have been asked to provide medical evidence for all absences, you are able to provide this yourself or alternatively you can complete the Joint Medical Protocol form.  Please click here for a copy.
  • If a student has not registered in the morning, a text message will be sent to parents/carers.  Parents/carers can reply to this message or alternatively contact the above number and leave a message.

Poor punctuality

  • All students are expected to arrive on time.
  • If a student is late, this can disrupt the learning of others and impede on students’ progress in lessons. 
  • If a late is recorded as a U code (unauthorised absence) attendance will drop. This code is used if students arrive after 9:00am.
  • Persistent lateness may lead to a penalty notice being issued.
  • But remember, it is better to arrive late than not at all!

Application for leave of absence from school during term time

  • A leave of absence form must be completed for all absences from the academy.  Please click here to download a leave of absence form. These are also available from Student Services.
  • If you are planning a holiday during term time, please be aware that it is the academy’s policy not to authorise holidays unless there are exceptional circumstances.
  • A leave of absence form must be completed at least three weeks before your holiday. A response will then be sent to you in writing.  Please ensure you read the government guidelines and sign the form.

Attendance Team

  • Ms V Le Fur – Vice Principal for Student Engagement
  • Miss M Youngman – Assistant Principal for Attendance and Safeguarding
  • Mrs A Royal – Attendance Manager
  • Miss L Nash – Attendance and Student Administrator
  • Mrs H Bardwell – PA to Student Engagement and Attendance

Telephone number: 01603 734156

Email: [email protected]