Attendance
We want our children to feel a sense of belonging within our school. We seek to motivate our pupils through our nurturing approach, by making learning fun and accessible and giving lots of opportunities for excitement. Our staff are open to connecting and valuing each child in their class. It is our hope that children want to come to school to experience what we have on offer every day.
We know that children achieve best when they are engaged in school and this can only happen when they attend regularly. Our assessments show us that when children are regularly absent from school they do not make the same progress as their peers and they need more support to access school and our curriculum. We are committed to enabling all children to achieve their potential and so want to avoid absences wherever possible.
All pupils should aim for 100% attendance and arrive on time with all books and equipment for the day. If a child’s attendance falls below 96%, we will begin to apply strategies to improve attendance. We know that from time to time, children are unwell.
- If a pupil is going to be absent from school, please telephone the school on the FIRST DAY of absence. You can leave a message on our absence line.
- Registers close at 9.05am and latecomers must report to the School Office and sign their child into school; they will be classed as unauthorised unless a valid reason is given.
- We ask that whenever possible medical/dental appointments are made outside school hours.
- There are times, after an illness, when it is necessary to keep your child away from school to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Please call the school office for advice, as for many of these, there is no need to keep your child away from school provided they feel well enough to attend.
- With sickness and diarrhoea – it is important that your child has been symptom free for 48 hours before they return to school.
- Four-times daily doctor prescribed medicines can be administered in school, if necessary. You will need to complete and sign a consent form which is available from the office, or on our website.
- Please be aware that authorising absence for illness is at the Head’s discretion and we may request medical evidence if your child is off for more than two days, or has a high level of unexplained absence throughout the academic year.
- Please do not take holidays during term time as absences will be recorded as unauthorised and may lead to action by the Local Authority. Please see our Attendance Policy on the school website.
- If you intend to take your child out of school, a leave of absence form must be completed and returned giving 4 weeks’ notice; please be aware that tests and assessments are carried out during April, May and June.