Absence
Sickness Absence
Occasionally, children are too unwell to attend school or are unable to attend due to an essential appointment that cannot be arranged outside school hours. Parents or carers are asked to contact the school as soon as possible and before 9.05am on each day of absence. If we have not been contacted, we will telephone parents or carers to find out the reason for the absence. Any unexplained absence will be recorded as unauthorised and will appear in the school records. If we cannot contact parents, we will telephone the child's emergency contacts.
The school does not have any medical facilities and parents are therefore requested not to send children to school if they are unwell.
If you are unsure whether to keep your child off school for this reason, the following NHS link provides useful guidance.
In the event of a child being taken ill whilst at school, parents or carers will be contacted and asked to collect the child from school as soon as possible. A child should not return to school following sickness or diarrhoea until at least 48 hours have passed since the last incident. Children who have conjunctivitis should not be at school until they have been given medication and treated for 24 hours.
Lateness
School starts at 8.45 am with the gate open and staffed by a member of staff from 8.40am. The gate is closed at 8.55am and any children arriving after this time must report to the school office and will be marked late (L) on the school register. The school register closes at 9.15am. Any child arriving after 9.15am will be marked as unauthorised lateness (U) in line with government guidance.
Good time-keeping is a vital life skill which will help children as they progress through their school life and out into the wider world. Pupils who arrive late disrupt lessons and, if a child misses the start of the day, they can feel unsettled and embarrassed and risk missing vital work and important messages from their class teacher.
Unauthorised Absence
The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, regarding absence for the purpose of a family holiday, was recently amended. They have removed the ability for the headteacher to grant a family holiday during term time of up to 10 days in ‘special circumstances’. Legislation makes it clear that headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are ‘exceptional circumstances’.
Under the new regulations you could be fined if you remove your child from school at any time other than the designated breaks. If leave is taken without authorisation it will be recorded as unauthorised absence and the matter may be referred to the Council’s Education Welfare Service, for consideration of further action. If you do wish to apply for a leave of absence please collect a form from the school office - please note this must be submitted to the Headteacher at least 7 days in advance of the absence.