Absence From School

Please make sure that your child arrives on time for school. Lateness interrupts learning and causes anxiety for children because they arrive in the classroom having missed some core teaching. If you do find that you’ve arrived after the gate classes at 8:45am please sign your child in at the office. Our late records are monitored on a weekly basis by the attendance team.

Holidays during term time will not be authorised. Time off school for exceptional circumstances need to be requested from the Executive Principal through a ‘request for term time absence form’. These are available from the school office. Please note that exceptional circumstances are very rare and you may be asked to explain or provide evidence. We are required by law to record the reason for all absences. Any absence from school which has not been approved by the Executive Principal will be recorded as unauthorised. If frequent lateness or unauthorised absences are recorded, the Attendance Team will arrange a meeting to speak to those with parental responsibility in the first instance but might request the involvement of the Attendance and Prosecution Service if school attendance doesn’t improve.

If your child is poorly and needs to be kept off school please call the school office to report the absence. If the office staff are unable to answer the phone there is an answer phone system for you to leave the details of the absence. We would strongly encourage you to only keep your child off school if absolutely necessary. Coughs and colds are not enough of a reason. It is reasonable for us to request evidence of doctor’s prescriptions or medication if we feel an absence is becoming a cause for concern. Dental, optician and GP appointments are not to be taken during school time.

'... in general, the higher the overall absence rate across the Key Stage, the lower the likely level of attainment at the end of Key Stage'

Department for Education