ATTENDANCE - A GUIDE FOR PARENTS

We want to work with you to support your child’s attendance. It is very important that your child is in school, on time and every day. When children are away from school, they miss valuable learning time. Good attendance is linked to academic success.

1. When does my child need to be in School?

Your child should be at school in good time for registration. The playground will be supervised after 8.30am. The morning register will be called promptly at 8.45 am and the afternoon register at 1.00 pm.

2. What happens if my child is late?

Registration finishes at 9.50 am in the morning and 1.10pm in the afternoon.

If your child arrives between 8.45am and 9.50am they  will not be  be marked as late. Between 9.50-9.00am they will be marked Late (L)

If your child arrives after 9.00am (after registration has Closed) he/she will be marked late (U)

 If a pupil is late on two or more occasions a meeting will be arranged with a member of staff to discuss reasons / difficulties for lateness.)

3. Does the School need letters explaining my child’s absence or will a phone call do?

So we know that your child is safe, please telephone the school office 01449 766215 on the first day of absence.  If you do not phone us, we will phone you. Please do not contact by email. If your child is absent for more than one day, please contact the school on each subsequent day of absence to confirm their continuing absence

4. What reasons will the school accept for absences?

• Illness
• Emergency dental / medical appointment (please make routine appointments after school or during the holidays)
• Day of religious observance
• Family bereavement
• Exceptional circumstances for a very limited period

Except in the case of illness, you should ask for permission for your child to miss school well in advance, giving full details.  In cases of recurring absences through illness you may be asked to produce a medical certificate.

5. What is unacceptable?

The school will not authorise absence for holidays, day trips, visiting relatives, shopping, birthdays or looking after brothers or sisters, etc.

6. Will the school contact me if my child is absent?

The school operates a first day response to absences: we will phone you if we have not heard from you.  This is because we believe it is our responsibility to ensure your child’s safety as well as their regular school attendance.

Although we understand that children do get ill from time to time, if your child’s attendance falls below 90%, we may contact you by letter. If there is no improvement after a set timescale, a meeting with the Headteacher will be arranged and there will be a further letter. If there is still no improvement, the Education Welfare Officer may contact you.

7. I am thinking about sending my child on an extended absence for an overseas trip to visit relatives.  What should I do?

The school recognises that such absence can be important for children to keep in touch with their extended family.  Contact your child’s class teacher or headteacher as soon as possible to discuss the best time for such a visit.

The school would strongly recommend that such absences do not take place during your child’s SATs examinations.  You need to write and formally request an extended leave of absence and, if the Headteacher then approves the visit, the school will set work for your child to complete while away.

8. What can I do to encourage my child to attend school?

Make sure your child gets enough sleep and gets up in plenty of time each morning.  Ensure that he / she leaves home in the correct clothes and properly equipped.  Show your child, by your interest, that you value his / her education. 

9. My child is trying to avoid coming to school.  What should I do?

Contact your child’s class teacher immediately and openly discuss your worries.  Your child could be avoiding school for a number of reasons – difficulties with school work, bullying, friendship problems, family difficulties.  It is important that we identify the reason for your child’s reluctance to attend school and work together to tackle the problem.

In some cases you may find it helpful to discuss the circumstances of your child’s difficulties with an Education Welfare Officer.  The school may also refer you to an Education Welfare Officer who works with staff and families if difficulties with attendance arise. 

Absence Procedures

In order to promote attendance and ensure that any potential attendance issues are identified early and support is put in place to support children’s attendance, the following procedures will be followed:

1. If a child is absent from school and a parent has not phoned, the school will contact the parents.

1. If there are concerns about a child’s attendance or an emerging pattern, parents will be contacted to discuss this with the Headteacher.

1. If a child’s attendance drops below 90%, a letter will be sent to parents.

1. If there is no improvement over a period of 2-3 weeks, a meeting will be arranged with the Headteacher. The Education Welfare Officer may attend as well, and another letter will be sent.

1. If there is still no improvement after a further period of 2 -3 weeks, parents will receive a warning letter from the Education Welfare Officer.

Attendance Officer Support Service     T: 01473 265348     E: attendance@schoolschoice.org