Attendance and Punctuality
Good attendance and punctuality are essential if you are to succeed at school, in fact research shows that there is a direct link between good attendance and academic progress and achievement.
Our whole school target is 97% - 100% attendance.
Everyone must make every effort to attend school every day. However we accept that some children may become ill or have other genuine reasons for absence. Please notify the office on the first day of absence if your child is unable to attend. If we do not hear from you, we will call you to find out why your child is not in school.
Is my child too ill for school?
When your child is unwell, it can be hard deciding whether to keep them off school. These simple guidelines should help.
Not every illness needs to keep your child from school. If you keep your child away from school, be sure to inform the school on the first day of their absence.
Use common sense when deciding whether or not your child is too ill to attend school. Ask yourself the following questions.
- Is my child well enough to do the activities of the school day?
- Does my child have a condition that could be passed on to other children or school staff?
- Would I take a day off work if I had this condition?
Common conditions
If your child is ill, it’s likely to be due to one of a few minor health conditions.
Whether you send your child to school will depend on how severe you think the illness is. Use this guidance to help you make that judgement.
Remember: if you’re concerned about your child’s health, consult a health professional.
- Cough and cold. A child with a minor cough or cold may attend school. If the cold is accompanied by a raised temperature, shivers or drowsiness, the child should stay off school, visit the GP and return to school 24 hours after they start to feel better. If your child has a more severe and long-lasting cough, consult your GP.
- Raised temperature. If your child has a raised temperature, they shouldn’t attend school. They can return 24 hours after they start to feel better.
- Rash. Skin rashes can be the first sign of many infectious illnesses, such as chickenpox and measles. Children with these conditions shouldn’t attend school. If your child has a rash, check with your GP or practice nurse before sending them to school.
- Headache. A child with a minor headache doesn’t usually need to be kept off school. If the headache is more severe or is accompanied by other symptoms, such as raised temperature or drowsiness, then keep the child off school and consult your GP.
- Vomiting and diarrhoea. Children with diarrhoea and/or vomiting should definitely be kept off school until 48 hours after their symptoms have gone. Most cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in children get better without treatment, but if symptoms persist, consult your GP.
- Sore throat. A sore throat alone doesn’t have to keep a child from school. But if it’s accompanied by a high temperature, your child should stay at home.
- Chickenpox. If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all their spots have crusted over.
Late for School
If you arrive after 8.45am the gate will be shut and you will need to ring the bell to access the office where your child will be signed in. This will mean a late mark in the register. Arrival after 9.30am is marked as an absence for that session.
Appointments
Please try and book appointments for your child out of school hours. If you must take your child out of school for an appointment then please tell the office in advance and provide evidence of the appointment such as a hospital letter etc.
How can we help?
We monitor our attendance every half term and you should expect to receive a letter coded green (above 97%), amber (below 97%). or red (below 95%). This helps you to understand your child's current rate of attendance.
If we have concerns around your child's attendance then we will make contact with you through a letter or a phone call. Although 90% in an exam is a good score, 90% attendance is a poor score. In fact the government class 90% and below as persistent absence. We hope to talk to you before your child reaches this level so that we can work with you as necessary and support your child's success in school.