Attendance Information

The Attendance Officer for Venerable Bede CE Academy is: 

Ms H. Thompson

Please contact our school reception on 0191 523 9745 if you would like to speak with her on any issues regarding your child’s attendance.

If your child is going to be late or absent, please inform the academy before 8.30 am by calling 0191 523 9745 and then choosing Option 1.

You can also contact us via ParentMail


Useful Resources

Attendance Policy Attendance Booklet Leave of Absence Form Change of Details Form

Good to Know:

Did you know that:

  • Anyone who is absent a day of school per week misses the equivalent of two years of their school life
  • 90% of young people with absence rates below 85% fail to achieve five or more good grades of GCSE and around a third achieve no GCSEs at all
  • Poor examination results limit young people’s options and poor attendance suggests to colleges and employers that these students are unreliable

Punctuality 

Children who are regularly late often choose to be absent rather than go into a class because they may then be the focus of unwanted attention. Regular lateness adds up to a lot of lost learning

Is your child missing out?

Please help your child be punctual.

Useful Information:

By law, all children of compulsory school age (5 to 16) must receive suitable full-time education. As a parent or guardian, you have a legal responsibility for making sure a pupil secures regular attendance at school.

Should your child’s attendance drop below 95%, a standard letter to parents will be generated and posted, based on a legal template set out by DFE.

If your child’s attendance falls to 90% or below, this is considered by the Government to be persistent absence.

Where attendance falls below 90%, and there are unauthorised absences, a referral will be made to the Local Authority for enforcement action.

Prosecutions are in accordance with Section 444 Education Act 1996

Sunderland Local Authority will be monitoring all school absences and challenging those schools and parents that do not follow the new legislation.

The local authority can fine parents for failing to ensure their child attends school.