Attendance Policy

If your child arrives between 9.05 am and 9.15am he/she will be marked late. If your child arrives after 9.15am he/she will be marked absent.

If your child is in Reception, years 1 or 2 and arrives between 1.05pm and 1.15pm he/she will be marked late. If your child is in years 3 to 6 and arrives between 1.20pm and 1.30pm he/she will be marked late.

If your child arrives after these times he/she will be marked absent. Pupils who arrive after registration should report to the school office.

 

We would expect a parent to telephone the school on the first day of absence. If you do not phone us, we will phone you.  However, we need a written explanation on your child’s return to school.  If we do not receive an explanation, or if the explanation is unsatisfactory, we will not authorise the absence, and this will be shown on your child’s end of year report.

 

• Illness;
• Emergency dental / medical appointment (please make routine appointments after school or during the holidays);
• Day of religious observance;
• Family bereavement;
• Attending an interview or transfer day for secondary school.

Except in the case of illness, you should ask for permission for your child to miss school well in advance, giving full details. In cases of recurring absences through illness you may be asked to produce a medical certificate.

 

The school will not authorise absence for holidays, day trips, visiting relatives, shopping, birthdays or looking after brothers or sisters, etc.

 

The school operates a first day response to absences: we will phone you if we have not heard from you. This is because we believe it is our responsibility to ensure your child’s safety as well as their regular school attendance

If we are concerned about aspects of your child’s attendance or punctuality we will contact you to discuss the best way forward.

 

The school recognises that such absence can be important for children to keep in touch with their extended family. Contact your child’s class teacher or Head teacher as soon as possible to discuss the best time for such a visit.

The school would strongly recommend that such absences do not take place during your child’s SATs examinations. You need to complete an application form for extended leave of absence and if the Head teacher then approves the visit, the school will set work for your child to complete while away.

As far as possible we will ensure the work set reinforces the educational value of such a visit.

 

Make sure your child gets enough sleep and gets up in plenty of time each morning. Ensure that he/she leaves home in the correct clothes and properly equipped. Show your child, by your interest, that you value his / her education.

 

Contact your child’s class teacher or Head teacher immediately and openly discuss your worries. Your child could be avoiding school for a number of reasons – difficulties with school work, bullying, friendship problems, family difficulties. It is important that we identify the reason for your child’s reluctance to attend school and work together to tackle the problem.

In some cases you may find it helpful to discuss the circumstances of your child’s difficulties with an Education Welfare Officer. The school may also refer you to an Education Welfare Officer who works with staff and families if difficulties with attendance arise. The Education Attendance Service is based at:

Western Area Education Office Suffolk County Council
West Suffolk house Western Way
Bury St Edmunds
IP33 3YU
T: 01284 352000

 

Acceptable reasons for absences include:

• illness
• emergency dental / medical appointments (please make routine appointments after school or during the holidays)
• day of religious observance
• family bereavement
• attending an interview or transfer day for secondary school.

Looking after your brothers and sisters, birthdays, general trips such as shopping and helping at those are NOT reasons to be absent from school.

 

Problems with your school work? Are you being bullied? Are your friends giving you a hard time?  Are things difficult at school?  Are things difficult at home?

You may feel that missing school is the answer. It is not – it may even make things worse. TALK TO SOMEONE – your class teacher, form tutor, another member of staff, your parents. We will do everything we can to help you get over the problem.