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Attendance and Absences

Attendance

If your child is absent from school it is important to inform the school, by phone, by letter, e-mail or word of mouth the exact reasons for your child’s absence.

If your child has to be away for more than a few days, then it is helpful to let us know if they are well enough, we can send work home. We aim for all children’s attendance to be better than 97%, putting them above local and national averages.

Please let us know in advance if you are planning to take your child out of school.

Being on time is crucial, since learning starts straight away at 9.00 am. Children can feel left out, if they arrive continually late and can miss out on important things. If you have a problem getting to school on time, then please let us know.

Authorised and unauthorised absence

Government regulations require schools to record reasons for absence, if the school regards the reason for a child's absence as acceptable (eg sickness, dental appointment), then it is an authorised absence. However, if the school is not informed or an unacceptable reason is given, then it is an unauthorised absence. Each time there is an unauthorised absence, a letter is sent to parents. A record is kept of each child's unauthorised absences, and is recorded on the Annual Report to parents.

Here is our full attendance policy below