Attendance & Absence
Being at school
Being at school is a very important part of any child’s life. It enables them to learn, to make friends, to gain important knowledge and to develop a variety of skills which will prepare them for adult life. School and parents/carers are partners in making this a success. As parents or carers it is your legal responsibility to make sure your child makes the most of this opportunity by attending regularly and aiming for 100%.
The school carries out a termly attendance percentage check and will inform parents if their child's attendance has dropped or is below 90%. For children who's attendance is below 85% a meeting will be arranged to discuss concerns with the Headteacher. Poor attendance will be challenged.
Please see the Attendance Policy below for further information.
Illness
Please telephone the school office on (01304) 612148 by 8.45 a.m. if your child is not able to attend school due to illness. Please ensure that a phone call is made so that the school knows that your child is safe and secure, daily. We have a duty of care to each and every one of our children, including knowing why they are not in school, therefore, if we have not been notified of an absence we will telephone home that morning.
If your child requires the school to administer medicine orally during the school day, parents/carers should complete a form authorising this which can be obtained from the school office.
Please report contagious illnesses straight away.
Diarrhoea and/or Vomiting:
In line with the recommendations of Public Health England we advise parents that if their child develops diarrhoea/and or vomiting whilst at school to please ensure that they are collected promptly. To help prevent the spread of infection within schools, all children with diarrhoea and/or vomiting should stay away from school until 48 hours after the diarrhoea and/or vomiting has stopped.
Should my child go to school today?
Should my Child go to School Today? Parental Guidance from the NHS
Punctuality
When your child arrives late at school, he/she misses the teacher’s instructions and the introduction to the lesson. Your child may also feel embarrassed at having to enter the classroom late and this can be disruptive to the other children in the class. Punctuality is important for the child to start the day off well.
Do you know how much learning children miss out on?
Minutes late per day Equal days
5 minutes 3.4 days
10 minutes 6.9 days
15 minutes 10.3 days
20 minutes 13.8 days
30 minutes 20.7 days
Medical Appointments
Non-urgent medical appointments should not be made during the school day. If the appointment needs to be during school hours, please provide the school with appointment cards or hospital letters, so that a copy can be taken for the school records.
Booking holiday during Term Time
The government advises that parents should not normally take pupils on holiday during the 38 weeks of the school year. It does not give parents the right to take any holiday during term time.
What is the effect on your child?
We recognise that sometimes circumstances make absence from school unavoidable. However, it is important that parents consider the possible impact of missing school. Your children may fall behind their classmates, may miss important class work and may find that relationships with classmates suffer.
How to request leave for your child
If you do wish to request leave for your child, you will need to ask for permission from the school before you require time out from school, with clear reasons for the absence.
Holidays will not be authorised.
Enforcement and the Law
If you take your child out of school without permission it will be recorded as unauthorised absence on your child’s record. If the unauthorised absence lasts 5 days or longer, or there is more that one incident on your child’s record you may receive a Fixed Penalty Notice. Whereas we hope it would not come to this, you could be prosecuted in the Magistrate’s Court for your child’s non-attendance at school. You can be fined up to £2,500 per parent, or even imprisoned.
The Law
Only in exceptional circumstances may a school grant permission to take a holiday during term time. Even then, there are restrictions on what the school may permit. Failure to obtain the necessary permission could lead to prosecution.
Your Rights
There is no automatic right to take holiday during term time. However, under exceptional circumstances the school has limited authority to allow term time holidays. We will always consider cases on their individual merit and treat everyone fairly.
Your Responsibilities
Parents have a legal duty to ensure that their children attend school regularly. Parents should give the school at least 3 weeks notice of any request for a leave of absence, which may be granted in exceptional circumstances.