Student Absence
In the event of absence from school, parents should contact the school office before 9am on the first day of absence. The telephone number is 693500 and you should select option 1 for attendance. Alternately an absence can be reported via CRHSAbsences@sch.im
It is very important that parents notify the school ASAP if a student has an unexpected absence (usually due to illness). Details of the reason for absence and an approximate estimation of how long the absence is likely to last should be included. If you are aware in advance that your child is going to be absent, please notify the school. If the school is not informed of an absence the school’s attendance officer will contact the parents/guardians to inquire as to why a student is not in school.
If your child has had vomiting or diarrhea, it is important that you allow a period of 48 hours to elapse after the sickness has finished before sending them back to school. Such action will help to prevent the infection spreading unnecessarily to others in the school.
Any students who are displaying signs or symptoms of COVID-19 should not attend school, and should call the 111 helpline to seek advice.
The late arrival of students to school causes unnecessary disruption to lessons. The school bell rings at 8.58am so that students can get to their tutor rooms ready for Registration to begin at 9am.
Please note that students arriving late will be given a ’late mark’ and parents will be informed of the frequency of “late marks” and any sanctions applied as the need arises. Students arriving after the bell has gone should sign in at Reception. Late arrivals for medical appointments are perfectly understandable but it would help if you could let the school know in advance where possible.
Family Holidays
Promoting Good Attendance A Parents Guide IOM Government Holiday Request Form
The school holiday dates for the IOM can be found here.
Students are not normally permitted to take holidays during term time. The only exception allowed by the Department of Education and Children is for parents to request permission in advance for their own child(ren) to accompany them on an annual family holiday not exceeding 10 school days in one school year. Requests for holidays that do not meet this requirement will be refused and counted as an unauthorised absence. Please note that this specifically excludes children going on holiday with their friends and without their parent(s).
Holiday forms are available to download above, or from reception. Please give as much notice as possible. Students should arrange with subject teachers to collect essential work in advance and make themselves aware of deadlines that cannot be missed.
It is never advisable to remove students from school during periods of preparation for external examinations or approaching coursework deadlines. Year 11, 12 and 13 students really have no justification for taking holidays during term time at all.
All other kinds of absence (other than that due to illness, medical or dental appointments and family illness or bereavement) should be notified on a holiday form, including recognised educational activities (e.g. study visits abroad, competitive sport and art, representing the Island for an organisation, university visits, etc.) The school is happy to authorise this kind of absence.
Did you know…
The school year is 190 days or 38 weeks long…
90% attendance may sound great, but it means 20 days off in reality, each year, or one and a half terms over the whole of secondary school!
80% attendance means 40 days off in a year!
Academically it makes a difference to students’ grades…
Studies* have shown that a pupil who misses 17 days of school a year will drop at least ONE GCSE GRADE!
At CRHS we would like every student to have an above 95% attendance rate to give them the best possible chance at achieving.
*Glasgow University; Understanding Truancy – Links between attendance, truancy and performance