Attendance

At St Joseph’s we take attendance very seriously and we expect every child to reach at least 96%, which is the national average. We are determined to ensure that all our students have the opportunity to achieve success and have an excellent record of attendance. Good school attendance improves a young person’s chance at success in life. Please read the attendance expectations from our Headteacher at the bottom of the page.

If your child is late:

The school doors open at 8.45am and all children should be in class by 8.55am in time for register. If your child is late please report to the school office to sign them in so they can be marked in the class register.

Reporting an absence:

Please make sure that you telephone the school office by 9.30am on 01202 485976 or email: admin@stjosephs.dorset.sch.uk to report your child’s absence giving your child’s name and reason for absence.

Holiday requests:

The law states that you do not have the right to take your child out of school for holidays during term time. Time off during term will not be authorised by the Headteacher unless it is an exceptional circumstance. To request leave of absence during term time you will need to fill out an ‘application for leave from school’ form which can be obtained from the school office or it can be downloaded from our 'Forms' page.

The following video shows just some of the key reasons why it is so important that children attend school.