When does my child need to be in school?
School starts at 8:45am and registration takes place at 8:50am.
2. What happens if my child is late?
If your child arrives after the entrance gate has closed at 8:50am your child will miss registration and be marked as late.
If your child arrives between 8:50 am and 9:10am he/she will be marked late.
If your child arrives after 9:10 am he/she will be marked as absent.
Pupils who arrive after registration should report to the school office, and sign their individual late card and share the reason why they are late. If a pupil is late on two or more occasions, a meeting may be arranged with a member of staff to discuss reasons/ difficulties for lateness.
3. What time are the gates closed and why?
The gates are closed at 8:50am for safeguarding reasons. If the gates are closed, your child will be late and is expected to report to the school office.
4. Does the school need letters explaining my child’s absence or will a phone call do?
We expect a parent to telephone the school on the first day of absence and every subsequent day their child is absent. If you know your child will be off for longer than one day, please inform the office when you call. 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. The school has an absence line and parents are expected to call before 9:00am. If a message is left, our attendance champion will return the call for further information if required.
5. What reasons will the school accept for absences?
- Illness- if attendance has fallen below 95%, medical evidence may be needed i.e. prescription/GP
appointment card.
- Emergency dental/medical appointment (please make routine appointments after school or
during the holidays).
- Day of religious observance.
- Family bereavement.
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.
6. What is unacceptable?
The school will not authorise absence for day trips, visiting relatives, shopping, birthdays or looking after brothers or sisters etc. We will also not authorise absences for attending a sibling’s medical appointment.
7. Will the school contact me if my child is absent?
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.
8. My child is trying to avoid coming to school. What should I do?
Contact your child’s class teacher immediately and openly discuss your worries. The SaFS team are also available to discuss your concerns every day before and after school. 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.
9. My child is in Nursery or Reception and not yet compulsory school age.
Although your child does not become of a compulsory school age until the term after they are five, we want to encourage good attendance habits and the importance of coming to school every day. Your child will still receive an unauthorised absence if they are not in school without an authorised reason; however there will be no referrals to the EWO or external agencies. We still expect our Nursery parents to inform the school office when their child is not going to be in school.
