Please work with us to ensure your child is absent as little as possible so as not to miss out on any of their education.  Please read the information below carefully.

 

Sickness Absence – this should be reported first thing in the morning, before 8.50 a.m. This should be reported via a message on the school answerphone and we ask that you do this every morning that your child will be absent from school so that we know your child is safe with you.  We also need to know exactly why your child is absent – ‘unwell’ is not a specific enough reason. Please do not email.

 

If your child is not in registration and we have not received a message from you, we will contact you initially by text to find out where your child is to ensure your child is safe.  If we do not hear back from you by 9.30 am we will then phone the contacts on your child’s contact form, starting with Priority 1, until we get an answer.  In the interests of your child’s safety, if we are not able to clarify the whereabouts of your child by 10.00 am, this will become an urgent safeguarding matter.

 

Appointments – please, where practically possible, make all appointments after school time. We do understand that you do not always have a choice and we ask if this is the case; try to make them so they can be collected after 1.15p.m. thus not missing out on their morning lessons or their afternoon registration.  Please let us know (before the event) when the appointment will take place and sign all pupils in or out of the school office.  Please keep ‘time out’ for appointments to an absolute minimum, if possible, pick pupils up and bring them back afterwards. Every lesson in school is important and pupils need to ensure they catch up with what they have missed whilst they have been out, they can do this by asking a friend to collect any work or homework or see the teacher of the lesson they missed.

 

Request for Leave of Absence – An ‘Application for Leave of Absence’ form will need to be completed and handed in with at least two weeks’ notice prior to the first day of absence but we ask that more is given if possible. We must be made aware of your plans so we know your child is safe.  Please also be aware that we have very strict government regulations to follow and cannot approve any family holidays during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. If the reasons given for a child’s absence from school are not satisfactory then the Local Authority may take legal action.

 

Some examples where leave of absence would be granted as exceptional circumstances are: family weddings or graduation ceremonies; forces personnel on leave from a foreign posting; the holiday is important for the wellbeing and cohesion of the family following serious or terminal illness; bereavement or other traumatic events.

 

Music and Dance exams – These tend to take place during school hours, however we ask that you try where possible, to arrange the exam so that your child is out of school for the minimum amount of time. You must ask permission for your child have time off for an examination and this is at the Headteacher’s discretion.  Your child will not be granted authorised time off if this has not been pre-arranged.

 

I am sorry this all sounds very stern but the main message is to keep us informed. We want your child to achieve their very best and get the most from our school and good attendance is key to this. If you are ever unsure about an absence, please contact me at school to discuss.