Attendance and Punctuality

• Sixth form students enter and leave via the Victoria Road entrance. You will use your pass and the inventory system to sign in and out. 
• Sixth form students attend to the timings of the school day. This includes students being punctual and present at the start of the day (8:40 am) for Tutor Time. (The common and study rooms are open from 7.30 am for students who wish to study or arrive early to school). 
• If you are late on a given day (after 8.40 am) you will receive a 30 minute detention in the common room that same day.
• Students can leave the premises at lunchtime but they are not permitted to leave at any other time during the school day unless authorised by the Head of Sixth Form or in their absence, a member of the Sixth Form Team. Students must NOT leave school without informing a member of the Sixth Form Team.
• If for any reason you are ill or unable to come to school then your parent/carer/guardian should call in and leave a message on the Sixth Form Absence Line (0121 706 4200 Option 2). The message will be picked up by the Sixth Form Administrator and your appropriate mark for the day will be entered on to the school system.

• Where possible all appointments should be scheduled outside of school hours. However, we understand that this is not always possible. In the event that you have an appointment, you must inform the Sixth Form Administrator and provide evidence of the appointment that you will be attending.  By doing this we keep your attendance accurate and up to date.
• At lunchtime, there is food served in the bistro and students can make use of the kitchen facilities and the vending machine throughout the day.
• In Year 13, a student who does not have a lesson period 5 may go home at lunchtime.  This however, is by agreement with the Sixth Form Team and dependent upon the individual student and their performance.  This privilege is earned and subject to review.
• Students do not have ‘free periods’, you have supervised ‘Study Periods’ and ‘Enrichment Hours’ once a fortnight.
• All students must attend Tutor Time and there is a programme of activities that will be delivered by your tutors.
• All students must attend core lessons.

Student attendance is monitored weekly. Any students failing to attend lessons without a legitimate reason will be in breach of their Sixth Form Contract. 

• Poor (90% or lower) attendance and/or poor punctuality will affect 16-19 bursary payments to those students eligible (see 16-19 Bursary). 

• Parents/carers will be informed if attendance becomes a concern and may be asked to attend a commitment interview with their son/daughter. 

• If the attendance continues to be a concern, the student may be required to leave a specific course or it may be concluded that leaving sixth form is more appropriate 

• Poor attendance impacts academic progress and is likely to jeopardise a Year 12 student’s progression to Year 13.
• Poor attendance in Year 13 may result in students being asked to pay their exam entry fees.

Whilst most students can gain, not just financially, from having a part-time job, experience indicates that paid employment can also have a very detrimental effect on the academic performance of some. The expectation is that students must see their studies as their ‘full-time job’. 

Unfortunately, employers often put pressure onto part-time employees to increase their hours with little notice. Our advice is that students should be very clear about how any part-time work will fit in with their study schedule and that they should not undertake more than ten hours of paid employment per week. 

Under no circumstance should students commit to paid employment during the school day, even if their timetable currently allows, as timetables can be subject to change during the course of a term. Unfortunately, we CANNOT authorise absence from Sixth Form for interviews or training for part-time jobs.