Reporting Absences

How to Report an Absence

• Parents should contact the school as soon as possible on the first day of their child’s absence to explain why they were absent.

• Parents should then contact the school every day that their child is absent

• A text or phone call will be made to the parent of any pupil who has not reported their child’s absence on the first day that they do not attend school.  If the school is unable to make contact with the parent/carer, they may contact the pupil’s emergency contacts and/or other professionals or contacts of the family who could reasonably be expected to be able to advise of the pupil’s whereabouts.

• The staff member will encourage the attendance of any pupil that they believe should be able to attend.

• In the case of persistent absence and severe absence, arrangements will be made for parents to speak to the attendance team and/or pastoral staff. The school will inform the Local Authority (LA), on a termly basis, of the details of pupils who fail to attend regularly, or who have missed 10 school days or more without authorisation.

• Where a pupil has not returned to school for 10 days after an authorised absence, or is absent from school without authorisation for 20 consecutive school days, the school will contact the Local Authority and follow the ‘Child Missing Education’ guidance.

• Where there are concerns that the absence of a child constitutes a risk of harm, safeguarding procedures will be followed as per the Safeguarding Policy.