Attendance

Please note we operate a 'rolling start' to the day.  Please drop pupils at the front gate where a teacher will greet you and welcome you to the school.  Parents are to collect outside their child's classroom at the end of the school day. 

 

 

This means the school is open for 32.5 hours in a typical week. 

 

 

 

Our School Office Hours

 

The School Office is open from 8.15am to 4.00pm, Monday to Friday.

 

Attendance and Absence

Morning registration starts at 8.45.am.

 

First day Calling - Any child not in school by 9.15.am.must be accounted for and it is part of our morning routine to ‘chase’ any absences that are unaccounted for. If your child is unwell or unable to attend school please call the school office and confirm their absence from 8:45.am. 

 

Our attendance policy states that 'The times children can safely arrive at school and can go into their classroom will be clearly communicated to parents.  The attendance of children who arrive late will be registered as follows: 

 

• a child arriving after the register has started but before the register has closed will be coded as "late" (code L). 8.55.am - 9.15.am.
• a child arriving after the register has closed will be coded as "late after registration closed" (code U).  This is counted as an "Unauthorised Absence" after 9.15.am
• The times from which children will be marked as "late" or "late after registration closed" will be clearly communicated to parents.  

 

 Parents/carers are requested to telephone the office on 01548 550262 and leave a message before 8:30 am time if their child is going to be absent/late. The reason for the absence must be in full i.e., sickness on Sunday, temperature, severe cold etc. Please do not leave vague messages i.e. unwell, ill or under the weather as the school office will have to call you back for more information.

 

Office staff check all class registers between 8:50 am and 9:10 am on a daily basis to identify those pupils who are absent. Where a child is absent from school and we have not received any verbal or written communication from the parent, we initiate the first-day contact procedures. If no message is left with the school office, we will telephone in turn each of the contacts on the list provided by the parents. If we are still unable to get confirmation as to why the child is not at school, we will proceed to a welfare check (this is a visit to the home address). This is normally carried out by the senior staff from the school or the Education Welfare Officer (EWO). If we are still unable to confirm the child’s welfare, we will call 101 to report the child as missing. This is the school’s duty of care and safeguarding for your child.

 

 

As far as requests for absence during term time are concerned; please read the school policy (available on the website) and submit a completed Absence Request form in advance of the requested dates. There is a selection of exceptional circumstances whereby we can authorise absence. If the request does not fall within these criteria, the absence will be unauthorised.

Each year we have an attendance target set by the DfES and your co-operation in ensuring that the children are in school as much as possible, is greatly appreciated.

Attendance Letters

 

Every term the EWO (Educational Welfare Officer) will visit the school and discuss the attendance of each individual pupil. You will be aware that regular and punctual attendance at school is vital so that pupils are able to take full advantage of the opportunities available to them. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the parent/carer to ensure that their child attends school regularly and punctually.

As a school we have been advised that we will be required to inform parents regularly if their child’s attendance falls below 96%. We will communicate this to you in the form of an attendance letter. The structure of the letter system will work as follows:

Thank you in advance for your continued support and cooperation ensuring our pupils receive their educational entitlement. You can keep track of your child’s attendance percentage through the MyEd app, which updates daily.

If you receive a letter advising of your child’s attendance and have further queries, please do not hesitate to contact the school for a meeting.

Criteria for Exceptional Circumstances

• Where it is company/organisational policy for an employee to take leave at a specified time in the year and there is no opportunity for a family holiday in school holidays. This must be supported by documentation from the organisation.
• Service personnel returning from/scheduled to embark upon a tour of duty abroad.
• Farming families, whose work patterns mean they cannot holiday during the summer holiday months.
• To attend religious festivals or services such as the wedding or funeral of an immediate family member.
• Other compassionate circumstances e.g family illness, family crisis such as  marriage break-up.
• Where a holiday is recommended as part of a parent or child’s rehabilitation from a medical or emotional issues. Evidence must be provided from a qualified professional such as a doctor.
• Where there are other factors which the Head teacher may consider exceptional circumstances, this may be referred to the Local Authority for advice.
• It should be noted that financial consideration are not deemed exceptional circumstances.