Attendance & Illness
Missing school seriously disrupts pupils’ learning. Children are expected to attend school on time every day.
The school bell rings at 8.50am, giving pupils in Years 1-6 ten minutes to get in to class and ready to start learning at 9am. Any pupils arriving to class after 9.00am will be marked late. The Foundation Stage Unit opens at 8.55am. The school day ends at 3.30pm
‘Authorised Absence‘ means that the school has either given approval in advance for a pupil of compulsory school age to be away or has accepted an explanation given afterwards as justification for absence.
‘Unauthorised Absence’ means that a school is not satisfied with the reasons given for absence or lateness. The school is required to inform the local authority of children who reach ten unauthorised absences (equivalent to five school days) and the local authority decide if a penalty notice is issued. For more information please click here and view the letter at the end of the Absence Request Form.
DfE (Department for Education) statutory guidance states that the school may authorise absence, given advanced notice, for the following reasons:
- Genuine illness
- Unavoidable medical/dental appointments (but try to make these after school if at all possible)
- Days of religious observance
- Seeing a parent who is on leave from the armed forces
- External examinations
- When Traveller children go on the road with their parents
When requesting absence, please complete the Absence Request Form and the absence will be considered by the headteacher. A copy of this form is available for you to download by clicking here or from the school office.
If your child is ill, please contact the school by telephone or email no later than 10am on the first day of absence and then before 10am for every subsequent day of absence.
If you are unsure what to do if your child is ill, please contact the school. Also, the Spotty Book is a useful source of information such as incubation periods for common diseases and recommendations on how long a child should be away from school. Click here for additional information from NHS for how to manage infectious diseases and please see our policies section for policy relating to supporting children with medical conditions.
Thank you for your support in ensuring your child’s attendance supports their continued success in learning.
