Attendance

If your child is significantly unwell and unable to attend school, we request that parents/carers telephone or email the school office on each and every day of the absence, before 8.45am, and clearly state the reason for their absence.

Where possible, we ask that medical appointments are arranged outside of the school day. Where this is not possible, please bring the appointment letter/card to the school office in advance.

There is no automatic entitlement to time off during term time.

By law, all requests for a leave of absence must be made in writing and in advance of the absence. As a school, we request parents use the ‘Holiday Request Form’ which is available from the school office or from the link below.

We will not authorise holiday or extended leave of absence requests for any circumstance. If you choose to remove your child from school when the request has been denied, or when no request has been made, it will be recorded as unauthorised and the Local Authority may issue a penalty notice against all adults in the home with parental or care responsibilities. Single day absences for unavoidable or emergency situations will be considered on a case by case basis. Please see the school Attendance Policy for details.

Q. What is a good attendance percentage?
A. The school’s attendance target for all our pupils is a minimum of 95%. The national average attendance for a child at primary school is 95%

Q. Why is attendance important?

A. If your child is of compulsory school age and is registered at a school, it is essential that they attend. Excellent attendance at school is important to allow a child to fulfil their potential. We aim to promote genuine love of learning in each and every child fuelled by a curious mind.

Simply put - children who miss lessons don’t do as well as they could.

Q. What is poor attendance?
A. Anything below 95% attendance is worrying as your child has missed more than 9 days of school, resulting in a lower chance of achievement. It makes it harder for the child to progress or keep up if they are missing key learning opportunities.
Q. What impact will low attendance have on my child?

A. Low attendance will impact on your child in many ways; educationally and socially. Pupils who have low attendance are more likely to become isolated from their social group and underachieve academically.

Q. What will happen if my child's attendance falls below 95%?
A. We constantly monitor pupil attendance. You may be sent a letter to inform you of the attendance percentage and you may be invited to a ‘school attendance meeting’ at the school.

Q. Isn't my child entitled to some ‘holiday-days’ a year?
A. No. The School will only consider authorising a one-day absence in very exceptional or unavoidable circumstances. Remember there are 175 non-school days per academic year to spend on family time, visits, holidays and appointments etc.

Q. What is meant by ‘genuine medical reasons’?
A. Diarrhoea, sickness, childhood illnesses e.g. measles, chicken pox, extremely high temperatures, are genuine illnesses. Children should not stay home if they have minor coughs, colds, tummy aches and headaches. If your child is too poorly to remain at the school, the school will contact you to collect them.

If your child has a specific hospital appointment, the appointment letter must be brought into school in advance. However, where possible we ask if you could arrange appointments out of the school day. Please remember that even absence due to genuine medical reasons still affect a child's attendance.

Q. What should I do if my child is absent?
A. Contact the school before 8.45am on the first day and every subsequent day of absence to explain their reasons.

REMEMBER EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS TOWARDS YOUR CHILD'S SUCCESS.

Thank you for your support.