School attendance is one of the most important factors in maintaining a pupil’s progress.  Non-attendance is the biggest barrier to learning……

As a school we are aiming for an attendance level of at least 96%.

To ensure the safety and well-being of our pupils, we make an ‘Every Day Response’ call should your child be absent from school and you have not informed us why. We will continue to call on each day of absence to check why your child is not in school should we not hear from you first.  Please call the school before 8.50am on each day your child is absent.

Coughs and colds are not reasons for a child to be off school, in which case we would advise Calpol, lots of fluids, and then sending into school.  Should your child become too ill to be at school we will of course call home for them to be collected.

Medical Appointments:

We strongly advise that medical appointments are made outside of school hours to avoid disruption to learning. When this is not possible we request that the pupil is taken out of school for the shortest time possible and that the appointment card/letter is shown to the school office so that a copy can be placed in your child’s file.

Applications for Leave of Absence

As of September 2013 the Secretary of State for Education removed the discretion of head teachers to grant up to ten days leave in term time holidays.  All holidays are now marked as unauthorised and could result in a Fixed Penalty Notice of £60 per parent if paid within 21 days.  Should you need to request any absence for your child, please see reception for a Leave of Absence Form and to arrange an appointment with Mrs Robertson. Forms must be completed two weeks before any proposed leave of absence. We are unable to authorise any leave for pupils unless it is on the grounds of ‘exceptional circumstances'.   The Leave of Absence form is also available to download from our School Forms page.

How we manage lateness:

The school doors open at 8.40 am and we expect your child to be in class at that time. Registers are marked by 8.50 am and your child will receive a late mark if they are not in by that time. The classroom doors to the playground are shut at that time and children must enter through reception and sign in the late book giving a reason for their lateness. At 9.30am the registers close. If your child arrives after that time they will receive a mark that shows them to be on site, but this will not count as a present mark and it will mean they have an unauthorised absence.  We will contact parents of children who are persistently late to discuss the reasons and agree a plan of support to improve punctuality.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s attendance at school, please contact the school and speak with Mrs Robertson, our Inclusion & Wellbeing Lead, who will be more than happy to help and to answer any questions you may have.