A SECONDARY school will charge parents for GCSE exams if their children haven’t turned up to enough lessons.

The move by Colchester Academy comes after pupils in Year 11 who will sit the exams this summer were told in assembly they needed to meet expectations.

Parents were written to and warned if their child’s attendance wasn’t good enough within three months they would have to contribute to the bill for exams which cost £65 per subject.

School principal Fiona Pierson said Year 11s needed to have at least a 90 per cent attendance rate between November and February half term for parents to avoid the penalty.

That’s the equivalent to missing less than 20 days off school.

Ms Pierson said the move is so the school doesn’t waste cash which she said could have been spent elsewhere.

She also said the school wanted to prepare students for the world of employment and to “promote improved outcomes for students”.

The school has not said exactly how many pupils have fallen below the 90 per cent attendance rate or what this equates to in penalties dished out to parents.

In a statement Ms Pierson said: “Since sending this letter out we have seen an improvement in Year 11 attendance of 1.1 per cent.

“In addition, the number of students who have an attendance figure below 90 per cent has decreased by over half.

“Both of these improvements will have a significant impact on the successes these young people will experience in the future and that is my aim.

“I am extremely sympathetic to student needs and there are some who have an attendance figure below this 90 per cent mark who will not be asked for a financial contribution.

“However, there is now a small minority of parents who will be approached. I have not received any resistance from parents, I think the approach has been measured.

“School funding will be reduced in the future and as head teachers we are all looking at what actions we can take that will not compromise the outcomes for the young people.“

In her letter Ms Pierson told parents: “In February I will be making the exams entries for all students in year 11. I am writing to make you aware that if your child’s attendance is below 90 per cent at February half term then I will not be entering them for their exams without a contribution from you as parent/carer.I am sure you can appreciate the financial position of the public sector at present and I am not prepared to enter students for their exams and pay for this if there is not the commitment from the young person to attend the Academy and the exams themselves.”

The letter explained “exceptional circumstances where they maybe medical evidence to explain the level of absence” which would make parents exempt of any penalties.

The school, which has around 700 pupils, was rated as requiring improvement in its last Ofsted inspection in 2015 and had been in special measures. A key finding was GCSE pupils were not making enough progress.

However, it was praised for the 2015 rise which saw pupils achieving five GCSEs including English and mathematics at grades A* to C, which was 58 per cent. Last summer’s figure was 50 per cent.

5A*-C including English and maths, while the school’s Progress 8 score was -0.06.