Attendance and Absence

It is the responsibility of parents/carers of a child of school age to make sure that their child is educated. Most do this by sending their child to school regularly. Attendance is recorded twice a day, morning and afternoon.

Absence from school is recorded as authorised, that is approved by the education authority, or as unauthorised, and that is unexplained by the parent/carer (truancy).

 

Contact procedures

If a child is absent from school, parents/carers are required to phone or email the school office by 9.30 am on the first day. If no telephone call or email is received, parents will automatically receive a text message asking them to phone the school immediately or receive a telephone call from the school.

If an absence is planned, please inform the head teacher in writing. If a child requires to leave early for any reason the school office must be notified in advance. No child will be permitted to leave early unless collected by an authorised adult. If at the end of the school day, for any reason, a child is not collected at his/her usual meeting place he/she must return to the building and report to the office immediately. Please ensure that your child understands this arrangement.

Please make every effort to avoid family holidays during term time as this disrupts the child’s education and reduces learning time. The Head Teacher can approve absence from school for a family holiday in certain extreme situations, for example, in traumatic domestic circumstances where the holiday would improve the cohesion and wellbeing of the family. Please discuss your plans with the head teacher before the holiday. If the head teacher does not give permission before the holiday, it will be recorded as unauthorised absence.