Attendance

Good attendance at school is important for your child’s education and establishes a positive working ethos early in life.

We expect 100% attendance and 100% punctuality. 

We have a statutory duty to keep a record of all unauthorised absences and to note these on each child's annual report. This is part of the national move to monitor and discourage truancy. The Department for Education now requires all schools to publish unauthorised absence. Lateness also comes under this category. Registers will be closed at 9.00am each morning and children arriving after that time will be marked late. It is important that parents notify us of the reason for their child's absence as soon as possible, and by 9.00am at the latest, for each day that a child is absent from school. This can be done by calling or emailing the school office.

Important Note:

As school holiday dates are published well in advance, it is severely detrimental to your child's education to take holidays during term time. Permission for absence during term time will not be granted except in “exceptional circumstances”.

If children are taken out of school without authority for 5 or more days (which do not need to be consecutive), parents will be liable to receive a penalty notice. Currently, the amount payable under a penalty notice is £60.00 per parent/carer per child if paid within 21 days. Thereafter, the amount increases to £120.00, if paid between 21 and 28 days. If the penalty notice remains unpaid after 28 days, the Local Authority will consider a prosecution in the Magistrates' Court. Please note that penalty notices are issued per parent/carer per child, so a family of two parents and two children will receive 4 penalty notices.

For sickness

If your child has vomiting or diarrhoea they should not attend school until 48 hours from the last episode of vomiting/diarrhoea.

The school follows the Health Protection Agency guidance on preventing infection. The following document gives more information about whether you need to keep your child away from school if they have an illness or infection.

When your child is unwell please call the school on the first morning of absence by 9.00am. You MUST call in every day that your child is absent. We will also require a letter, explaining the reason why the child is not at school, on the child’s return.

Children who are taken ill during the day are watched by the office staff and if very unwell, the parents or carer will be asked to take them home.  We operate on the principle that children who attend school are well enough to participate in all school activities including PE and playtime sessions.

For out of school dental and medical treatment

Please let the school office know in writing, in advance of the date and time of the appointment and when your child will be collected from and/or returned to school. You can find the relevant form at the virtual office on this website.

For family holidays / other absences during term time

All absences MUST be requested in writing to the Principal of School. You can find the relevant form at the virtual office on this website.