At Foxfield, Safeguarding is paramount and we will not waver from our professional responsibilities to ensure this is upheld with integrity. 

Your child’s safety and well-being are at the heart of everything we do at Foxfield. We are committed to creating a secure and supportive environment for everyone.

Safeguarding is a responsibility we all share. If you ever have any concerns about a child or a family, please know that you can always talk to any member of staff. We have a team of Designated Safeguarding Leads who are trained to handle these matters with integrity and will make sure your concerns are recorded and addressed.If relevant staff are not available and your concern is urgent you can contact Royal Borough of Greenwich Children’s Services directly on 0208 291 3172 and/or the Police on 101 (non-emergency) or 999 (emergency) depending on the level of concern. If you have a safeguarding concern about a member of staff, please inform the Co-Headteachers, Mrs Minnett and Mrs Sharp

Attendance Counts, Moments Matter - Regular school attendance is one of the most important factors in your child’s academic success and overall wellbeing. Children who attend school consistently are more likely to achieve higher, build positive relationships, and develop the routines that support lifelong learning. 

Absences—whether frequent or occasional—can lead to gaps in understanding, increased stress, and a sense of disconnection from peers and school life. By encouraging good attendance, you’re not only supporting your child’s learning, but also helping to build their confidence, resilience, and social development. Together, we can ensure every child has the best chance to thrive—both academically and personally.

Ensuring your child’s regular attendance at school is your legal and parental responsibility and we work very closely with the Royal Borough of Greenwich Attendance Advisory Service to monitor the attendance of the children at Foxfield.

In order to ensure that your child’s attendance is recorded accurately, you must contact the school on your child’s first day of absence. You can do this by:

● Phoning the school office by 8.30am via telephone 0203 260 7500

● Emailing the school admin@foxfieldinspire.co.uk with the subject Absence

● Using the Arbor in-app messaging

Please do ensure that you are providing medical evidence for your child’s absence. We accept the following :

● Medical/doctors appointment letter

● A screenshot of the e-Consult submission form

● Prescription of your child’s medication (This can be the prescription form or the medication itself) with the date shown

• Sending a photo of their temperature if they have a fever

Poor punctuality is not acceptable and can contribute to further absence. Good time-keeping is a vital life skill which will help children as they progress through their school life and out into the wider world. Pupils who arrive late disrupt lessons and, if a child misses the start of the day, they can feel unsettled and embarrassed, miss vital learning and important messages from their class teacher. Every minute a child is late to school can add up to a lot of learning time over the year.

Penalty Notice Fines for School Absence Have Changed 

A National Framework for Penalty Notices, has been introduced by the Department for  Education and came into effect on the 19th August 2024. 

There is Now a National Threshold 

There will be a single consistent national threshold for when a penalty notice must be  considered by all schools in England, of 10 sessions (usually equivalent to 5 school  days) of unauthorised absence, within a rolling 10 school week period. 

For example:  

• a 5 day holiday in term time (term time leave), would meet the national  threshold. 

• 5 days of unauthorised absence due to irregular school attendance, would meet  the national threshold 

• The 10 school week period can span different terms or school years. 

Who May Be Issued with a Penalty Notice? 

Penalty Notices are Issued Per *Parent, Per Child 

Penalty Notice Fines are issued to each parent who allows their child to be absent from  school. 

For example:  

• 3 siblings absent for term time leave, would result in each parent who allowed  the absence, receiving 3 separate fines.  

First Offence 

The first time a Penalty Notice is issued for  term time leave or irregular school  attendance, the fine amount will be: 

• £80 per parent, per child, if paid within 21 days. 

• Increasing to £160 if paid between  days 22-28. 

Second Offence (within 3 years) 

The Second time a Penalty Notice is considered and issued for term time leave or irregular school attendance, the fine amount will be: 

• £160 per parent, per child,  payable within 28 days. 

Third Offence and Any Further Offences (within 3 years) 

The third time an offence is committed for Term Time Leave or Irregular school  Attendance, a Penalty Notice will not be issued. 

• The case will be referred to the Magistrate’s Court for consideration. 

• Upon Prosecution a parent can receive a criminal record and a fine of up  to £2,500. 

If you are experiencing difficulties in ensuring your child’s regular school attendance, you are  advised to speak with the Attendance Lead (Mrs Garcha and Ms Keen) to address any support needs. 

*Parent is defined as the natural parent, the person with whom the child lives and/or has day to  day care of the child 

What is Pharmacy First?

The NHS-funded service enables children and adults to get convenient access to advice and treatment where appropriate for seven common conditions, without the potential delay of having to wait for a GP appointment. Accessing the service may mean that children feel better and back to school as quickly as possible, as well as supporting parents/carers to also get better if they are unwell with one of the conditions covered under the service. There is no need to make an appointment; parents or carers can pop into their local Boots pharmacy with their child and ask for help under the service.

The service supports with the following conditions for people in the age groups specified below:

Earache (aged 1 to 17 years) 

Impetigo (aged 1 year and over) 

Infected insect bites and stings (aged 1 year and over) 

Sore throats (aged 5 years and over) 

Sinusitis (aged 12 years and over) 

Uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women (aged 16 to 64 years) 

Shingles (aged 18 years and over) 

The person will see a pharmacist in a private consultation room. The pharmacist will provide advice and, if clinically appropriate, offer to supply treatment for the condition*. If treatment is provided, an electronic message will be sent to the person’s GP surgery so their health record can be updated. Should the pharmacist be unable to help, they will direct the person to their GP surgery or other healthcare professional, as appropriate.

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