Ambitious Attendance for All
At St Thomas More, our approach to attendance is rooted in our strong sense of community. We believe that pupils are most motivated to attend school when they feel welcome, valued, challenged, and loved. Creating this environment is at the heart of everything we do, and it gives every pupil a reason to come to school every day.
We are proud that our attendance rates are consistently above the national average and rank among the top 10% of schools nationally — a clear testament to the positive impact of our inclusive and supportive school community. We recognise the importance of celebrating good attendance with individual pupils and families. Every half term pupils will receive their personalised attendance tracker.
In addition to fostering a culture of strong attendance, we maintain robust and thorough attendance procedures to ensure every pupil’s presence is monitored and supported. We kindly ask that families use the information below to report any absences or request leave of absence.
Making sure that we are up to date with any absences is of the utmost importance. We work closely with families to promote good attendance and overcome barriers when attendance needs improving
We ask that all absences are reported by 08:00 on the day of absence by contacting the school on 0191 499 0111 option 1. When leaving a message we ask that you clearly state your child’s name, the reason for absence and provide the school with an expected date of return.
All absences will be recorded as either authorised or unauthorised. Absence can only be authorised by the school, and cannot be authorised by families. All absences will be treated as unauthorised unless a satisfactory explanation for the student’s absence has been received.
Please note that in the event of ongoing illness families may be asked to provide medical evidence where there are repeated absences. This will usually be in the form of an appointment card, prescription etc.
With regards to medical / dental appointments, families are advised, where possible, to make these appointments outside of the school day. Where this is not possible, students should attend school for part of the day. Families must show the appointment card/letter to school.
If you have any queries please contact the attendance team STM-attendance@stm.bwcet.com
