Every day is a learning adventure and we do all that we can to support parents and carers in ensuring that each child’s attendance is as good as it can be. We are really proud of the fact that our overall attendance for the last academic year was 96.5% and Ofsted commented that ‘There is no doubt that pupils love their school and this is reflected in their above average rates of attendance’.
However, we continue to work with all our families to ensure that the attendance of all children is as good as it can possibly be. Schools are required to keep detailed records of children’s attendance, including any absence from school. We know that those children who establish good patterns of attendance in the earliest years of schooling, are more likely to continue this pattern as they get older. We also know there is a clear link between good attendance and the outcomes children achieve at the end of their time in school i.e. children whose attendance is higher are more likely to achieve 5 good GCSE results.
The doors open at 8.40a.m. and the register is taken at 8.50a.m. Any child who arrives after 8.50a.m. must come through the main entrance and will be marked as late. Any child who arrives after the register is closed at 9.10a.m. will receive a ‘U’ or unauthorised absence mark. The school day ends at 3.05p.m. and children must be collected promptly from the classroom door.
Phone the school office on 023 9226 2717 explaining why you will be late and what time you expect to arrive. You may also be asked if you need to order a meal for your child.
Phone the school on 023 9226 2717 by 9.00a.m. When leaving a message, please let us know the name of your child, their class, the reason for their absence and their expected return to school date. You may also report your child’s absence through your Arbor account. All messages will be checked by the office team by 9.30a.m.
Advice on when a child needs to stay home due to illness and for how long can be found here. This is the document which school staff will also use if parents/carers phone with questions about staying at home.
In most circumstances, prescribed medicines are to be given three times a day, which means they can be organised around the school day. However, should they need to be given four times a day, this can be arranged in line with our Supporting Children with Medical Conditions. Medicines must be brought to the school office by the adult who brings the child to school and collected again at the end of the day. Before we can administer any medicine, a parent/carer must complete a form providing the details of the dose etc. – these forms are available from the school office.
Every half-day absence from school has to be classified by the school as either authorised or unauthorised. This is why information about the cause of any absence is always required.
Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for a good reason:
Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no leave has been given. This includes:
No. Parents/carers are expected to ensure their child attends every day the school is open, except for the reasons above.
Under the Hampshire Code of Conduct, a head teacher can only authorise an absence if it is ‘unexpected, rare, unavoidable and short’. A planned family holiday in term time can never be classed as unexpected or unavoidable. There are 13 weeks of school holidays each year, plus 5 INSET days. Parents/carers are expected to plan all family holidays to fall within these weeks.
A penalty notice will be issued if a child has 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence in a continuous 100 session (50 day) period. Therefore, if a child does go on holiday for a week, a fixed penalty notice will be issued which will lead to a fine. Schools are also now advised that should a family receive one penalty notice, if that child should have any other absence which would lead to another fixed penalty notice being issued, i.e. another family holiday, then the school should refer them directly to the Attendance Support Officer, who may start legal proceedings.
It is not uncommon for problems at home or at school to make a child reluctant to come to school. If you suspect that your child is unhappy at school, talk to them about it and also speak to your child’s class teacher. However, keeping them at home because they are unhappy is not going to make the situation easier – the longer a child avoids school, the greater their anxiety will be. You may also find it helpful to attend our parent support group, which meets regularly on Friday afternoons at 2pm, where you can talk to staff and other parents. There are also resources online to help you support your child with mental health issues such as school avoidance:
www.thismayhelp.me
www.youngminds.org.uk
www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents
If you would like more information or support on how to ensure your child comes to school regularly, then please speak to your child’s class teacher or make an appointment to see the head teacher, Ms Clabon, or Deputy head teacher, Mrs Lane.
The Department for Education updated their advice to schools in May 2022 and the advice within this document applied from September 2022. Details can be found by clicking on the link below:
Links:
