The school gates open at 8.45am and school starts at 9.00am.  Please ensure your child is punctual  and supervised until the bell goes.

To report an absence on the day due to e.g. sickness, please call the school office as soon as possible before 8.50am.

Absence authorisation

Absences will be treated as unauthorised unless a satisfactory explanation for the pupil’s absence is given to the school. Parents/carers cannot authorise absences.  Office staff will make it clear on the school register when recording attendance whether a child’s absence is authorised or unauthorised.

When a child is to be absent from school without prior permission, parents/carers should inform the school by telephone on the first day of absence and let them know the reason and what date they expect the child to return. For a prolonged absence of 3 school days or more, this should be followed up with a written explanation from the parent/carer of the child. Alternative arrangements will be made individually with non-English speaking parents/carers.

Illness

Most cases of absence due to illness are short term, but parents/carers should ring to alert the school on the first day before 9.00am of absence. For prolonged absence of 3 days or more due to illness, parents/carers are required to provide the school with medical evidence such as a note from the child’s doctor, an appointment card or a prescription paper when possible.

Medical or dental appointments

Parents/carers should make every effort to ensure these appointments are made outside of school hours. Where it cannot be avoided, parents should inform the office via email or phone (no request forms need completing) and children should attend school for as much of that day as possible. Where possible, please bring a copy of an appointment card or letter to the office for our records.

Authorised absences

There may be some instances where the school will authorise absence such as for a family bereavement.

Family holidays or request of absence of one day or more:

Parents/carers should ensure that family holidays and extended leave are arranged outside of school term time.  Parents/carers do not have the automatic right to remove their child from school during term time for this reason. As much as possible, requests for leave from school must be made in writing to the Headteacher at least two weeks in advance of the leave being taken. Holidays will not be authorised. If parents decide to take their child out nonetheless, they may be liable for a fine or a summons to court. Parents need to be clear that leave will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.

For any requested absence, please fill out a leave of absence request form. These can be collected from the office or click on the link below and need to be handed in at the office.

Application for leave of absence form in term time

Alternatively, please email the office with the following:

• Email subject line: Application for Leave of Absence in Term Time
• Pupil’s name and class
• Reasons for absence request from school
• Last day of school and first day of school, totaling the number of school days missed
• Name of parent making the application

In exceptional circumstances, parents may wish to discuss their situation face-to-face with the Headteacher. In this case, parents should email the office for a suitable appointment.

For further information, please see our Attendance Policy on the policies section of our website