Attendance

At Harris Academy Merton we believe that good attendance and punctuality are vital to the wellbeing and prospects of all our students. Attendance and punctuality are intrinsically linked to our Academy strategy for raising achievement. We thus expect students to achieve above 96% attendance and punctuality. Punctuality to school is crucial to create a calm and purposeful atmosphere and students who are persistently late often disrupt their own and others’ learning. We expect students to arrive on time for learning. 

 

A student’s progress is severely hampered if they do not regularly attend school. To illustrate: 

• 90% attendance is an average of one day out of school per fortnight over a school year. 

• 90% attendance over 5 years at secondary school is half a school year missed. 

• 80% attendance over 5 years at secondary school is the same as one whole school year missed. 

 

Attendance below 90% is a serious cause for concern. You can view your child’s attendance percentage on their My Child At School (MCAS) account.  

 

Reporting an absence 

If a student is unable to attend the Academy, parents/carers must contact Ms K. Murphy before 8am on that day via email attendance@harrismerton.org.uk or call 02086231009. The below information is required; 

• Full name of student 

• Tutor group of student 

• Reason for absence and when the student is likely to return 

Our school’s attendance officer will decide whether the absence is authorised or not. In the case of parents not notifying the school of any absence we will make contact to find out why your child is not in school. 

You can also report lateness to the above details.  

Requesting leave of absence 

If you wish to request a special leave of absence, for example to attend a funeral, you will need to fill in an absence request form below. This must be completed well in advance. The final decision whether to approve will be made by the Principal. 

Harris Academy Merton does not authorise any holidays taken during term time, and this will be recorded as unauthorised.  

Support with attendance/punctuality  

For further support with attendance parents/carers should contact attendance@harrismerton.org.uk 

 

KEY DOCUMENTS
LB Merton School Attendance and Penalty Notice Info for parents and carers Sept 2024	Click Here
Principal Letter - Attendance Guidance September 2024	Click Here
Request-for-Leave-of-Absence	Click Here