At Wykham Park Academy, we believe that excellent attendance is the foundation for academic success, wellbeing and future opportunities. Every lesson matters, and being in school every day helps students build confidence, maintain strong relationships and achieve their full potential. We have high expectations for attendance, with a target of 97% and above for all students.
We proudly adopt a Support-First Approach. This means we work closely and compassionately with families to understand any barriers to attendance and provide the right support to help every child attend regularly and succeed. While we are firm in our expectations, we are equally committed to working in partnership with parents and carers to secure the very best outcomes for our students. We also work closely with the Oxfordshire County Council Attendance Team to ensure consistent support and guidance.
Attendance Team
Senior Attendance Champion: Mr A O’Keeffe
Attendance Officer: Mrs J Radini
Student Engagement Officer: Mrs K Hibbert
Welfare Manager: Mrs E King
Reporting Your Child’s Absence
We understand that absence due to ill health can sometimes be unavoidable. If your child is going to be absent, please:
- Contact the Academy by 8:00 am via email at attendance@wykhampark-aspirations.org, or by phone (Attendance Office: 01295 225225) with the following details:
- Your child’s full name
- Your child’s form group
- Reason for absence
- Anticipated length of absence
- Please email on each day of your child’s absence.
If we do not hear from you and your child does not arrive at school, our Attendance Officer will contact you.
Medical Appointments
If your child has a medical appointment, please notify us in advance and provide a copy of the appointment letter or card.
Term Time Holidays
In line with Department for Education guidance, term time holidays will not be authorised except in truly exceptional circumstances. Any unauthorised holiday absence will be coded as ‘G’ (Holiday not granted) on your child’s attendance record.
Where a term time holiday is taken without authorisation, this may result in a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued. Currently, this is £80 per parent, per child, if paid within the specified timeframe (rising thereafter if unpaid). We ask parents and carers to carefully consider the impact of time away from school on their child’s learning and progress before making any travel arrangements.
Appointments
We understand that some appointments are unavoidable, such as hospital specialist consultations. However, where there is flexibility — for example dental appointments or eye tests — these should not be scheduled during the school day. Wherever possible, appointments should be made outside of school hours to minimise disruption to learning.
Please notify us in advance of any medical appointment and provide a copy of the appointment letter or card.
Support Available
For pupils with attendance concerns, we offer a wide range of tailored support. Our aim is always to remove barriers and help students feel confident and ready to attend school every day.
Support may include:
- Mini Bus Collections
- Soft Landings at the start of the school day
- Access to the School Health Nurse
- Access to the School Counsellor
- Support from our Welfare Team
- Attendance Rewards and recognition
- Home Routine Support for families
- Temporary Reintegration Timetables (for severely low attenders)
We believe that with the right support, every child can improve their attendance and thrive.
