Attendance

We place great value on regular and punctual attendance in order to maximise the learning opportunities for our pupils and to ensure their well-being, and while recognising that there are good reasons why this is not always possible, it is our intention to provide support and challenge where appropriate to ensure that attendance remains high for all pupils in our care.

Full details of our attendance policy are available in the Policies section.

What are the times of the school day?

School begins at 8.45am for all pupils. Pupils arriving after this time will be recorded as being late. If your child arrives after 9.15am, this will be recorded as an absence. The school day ends at 3.15pm. Our school week consists of 32.5 hours.

What should I do if my child is unwell?

Please contact the school office on 01243 602738 before 9.00am on any day when your child is too ill to attend school. Parents who have downloaded the ARBOR app (Android, iOS) can notify us of absences by sending an in app message.

Coughs and common colds are not normally a reason for absence from school. If you are unsure about their fitness for school, you can always bring them to school and speak with their class teacher or the school office. If their condition worsens during the school day, we can contact you.

Quick Useful Guide - Too Ill for School

When should my child return to school?

After periods of sickness and diarrhoea, children should not return to school for 48 hours after the last bout. This helps to prevent the spread of infection.

In the case of other contagious illnesses, please contact the school office who can advise of recommended return periods based on health guidelines.

What about medical appointments?

We ask that parents make appointments for dentists, routine doctors’ visits, etc. outside of school hours. In circumstances where this is not possible, such as hospital visits, please let the school office know in advance, ideally by showing an appointment card.

How can I request time off for other absences?

Headteachers are only allowed to authorise other absence from school in exceptional circumstances. Absence for family holidays or days out will not normally be approved.

If there are exceptional circumstances, then please complete the absence request form giving your reasons and provide suitable evidence of the exceptional need. The request will then be considered by the headteacher.

If the absence is not approved, but your child is not in school on the requested days, then this will be treated as an unauthorised absence.

How does the school monitor attendance?

In circumstances where a child’s attendance falls below 95% (approximately 3 days off per term), we will monitor attendance to ensure that is improved over time. In cases where attendance falls below 90% (6 days off per term), then we will contact you to inform you of our concerns.

In some cases, the headteacher may request that any future absence is supported by evidence (such as a doctor’s appointment card for illnesses).

Does the school issue fines?

If the headteacher feels that parents are failing in their duty to ensure that a child attends school regularly, then a request may be made to the local authority to issue a Penalty Notice.

Penalty Notices can be issued to families where a child has missed at least 5 days of school in a ten-week period without authorisation.

Penalty Notices incur a fine of £120 per parent, per child. This means that a family of 3 children with two parents missing school for a holiday could lead to combined fines of £720 for the family.

It is therefore important that school is kept informed of reasons for absence.