Effective 14th November 2021 (Updated 01/11/2021)

Low levels of attendance impact negatively how well a child achieves and how well they will achieve in the future.  Parents of children are advised of the Rights of Children (from Risalatul Huquq) “…You are responsible for what has been entrusted to you, such as educating him in good conduct (husn al-adab), pointing him in the direction of his Lord, and helping him to obey Him…” whereby this reminds us that the Islamic Education of our children is not only important, but it is the right of the child that a parent must fulfil.

At Muhammadi Madrasah we understand that absences sometimes cannot be avoided, and we positively aim to support parents in how to get their children to Madrasah on time and on a regular basis.  To ensure that all our students are given equal opportunities to learn, and also that the parents of all our students take the same responsibility in giving the children their rights to an Islamic Education Muhammadi Madrasah has revised its Absence Policy.  This revision aims to promote the value of Madrasah, and to provide teachers with the consistency they need in the classroom to provide a good standard of teaching for all their students.  Absences do not only affect the absentee but also have an impact on the entire class.

Madrasah is open for most weeks of the year, and children are expected to attend all sessions.  Absences are defined as a child missing a whole day of Madrasah (i.e., 10:00 am to 1:30 pm).  In one term a child is expected to attend at least 95% of sessions to achieve an “Excellent” attendance score. 

Absences will now be categorised as either Authorised or Unauthorised. Both equally affect attendance figures, and both can lead to action being taken. Authorised means that Madrasah has accepted that the absence was genuine and meets the set criteria for absence. It is for the Principal or the Vice-Principal to decide if an absence is authorised irrespective of information provided by parents.

Unauthorised absences generally mean that no reason has been provided verbally or put in writing or Madrasah has not accepted the reason given as on that meets the criteria for an authorised absence. These absences are monitored carefully.

When children are absent from Madrasah, parents should inform the Madrasah office prior to or on the day of absence. This can be done via email to mmadrasah@ksmnet.org

Children may be asked why they have missed Madrasah on their return. It is for the Madrasah to decide if the absence is to be authorised. All unexplained absences will be marked as unauthorised.  Any absence, regardless of its type, will count towards the termly attendance percentage.

Unauthorised Absences

In the event of 2 unauthorised absences (during a single term), Madrasah will, after the second absence:

  • Contact the parents by email to enquire why the attendance has dropped, and where necessary inform the parents that the student will be issued with a formal warning.

Persistent Absences

It is important to highlight that Madrasah will endeavour to assist parents who require help regarding persistent absences.  A persistent absence is where the percentage for any one term falls below 80% (authorised or unauthorised) or if there are 3 unauthorised absences, Madrasah will in this case:

  • Contact the parent to discuss the matter, and most likely inform them that the student will be removed from the register.  In the case of removal from the register, there will be no refund or part refund of any fees paid to Madrasah.  The decision of the Principal and the Vice Principal will be final, and there will no appeals process possible at this stage.

If the parent would like to re-enrol their child into Madrasah a fresh application would have to be made, and the usual acceptance criteria would be kept on that application.  No guarantee can be made that a new application will be approved.

Some Common Reasons For Absence

Illness

We recognise that some students will suffer from an illness during their time at Madrasah that will prevent them from attending.  Absences due to illness will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.  In these cases, we advise parents that if the child has been vomiting in the 24 hours preceding a Sunday then the recommendation is for them to remain at home on that day to minimise the health risks to other children.

Holidays (For religious pilgrimage)

Any absence from Madrasah for trips of religious pilgrimage (i.e., Ziyareh, Hajj or Umrah etc) will be approved as authorised absence given that all our religious education is based on attaining closeness and love for Ahlulbayt (as). In such a case please do email Madrasah to ask for authorised leave.

Holidays (For other trips)

Any absence from Madrasah for Holiday trips other than religious pilgrimage will remain unauthorised absence. Parents are advised to plan such trips outside of the Madrasah open days based on the year planner issued at the start of each academic year.

Religious Event Attendance (including funerals, 40th day observance “chalisma”, family majlis etc)

Absences for attending religious events will be marked as unauthorised except in the case of a funeral.

Family Events (including birthdays, travelling to visit family, guests/visitors etc)

Absences for reasons such as family birthdays, students travelling to visit their family or even students being occupied with visitors will be categorised as unauthorised absence.

Muhammadi Madrasah prioritises the attendance of its students to all sessions to ensure that the students benefit from the classes and also so that the commitments made by parents to bring the students to Madrasah is upheld.  We would like to remind parents that we are mindful that each case is unique and that there will be some families or students who require individual support regarding some matters that may impact attendance.  We can provide dedicated and confidential support to work on attendance issues and welcome parents to come forward should they require this support.  Parents are also requested to respect the decisions made by Madrasah and be mindful that the decisions made are purely professional and with the intention to provide maximum benefit to all involved including staff and other students.