Late/Absence Procedures

Attendance:

Attendance and Lateness

A big thank you to all our families who are supporting our drive to improve attendance at Blair Peach. Poor attendance has a detrimental impact on pupils learning. Over a 5 year period a pupil whose attendance is 90% will have missed half of a school year. This is a lot of lost education.

Schools make a report to parents on their child’s attendance at the end of each year.  It is essential that your child attends school on a regular basis and is not late for any sessions.

A child with less than 90% attendance is a persistent absentee and this can result in a referral to the Educational Social Worker/Attendance Officer who supports the school with the monitoring of absence rates.  

If your child is absent on any day please telephone or email the school office explaining the reason why they are away.  You can also leave a message on the answer machine.  If your child is absent for a longer period, the school requires medical evidence, to support the child's absence period.  

It is particularly important that you inform the school if your child:

• has an infectious disease for example measles, mumps or chickenpox
• is admitted to hospital
• is likely to be away from school for a lengthy period of time

Parental Request for Leave of Absence during term time

The law requires that once a child is on the school register they should be sent to school every day that it is open. School holiday dates are issued to parents well in advance and you are strongly advised not to take your child out of school during the school term. If however you decide to do so you then a Leave of Absence Form must be completed. Copies are also available from the school office. Forms must be completed and handed in to the school at least four weeks prior to the expected date of travel. You will need to meet with the Headteacher to discuss your request and arrange an appointment as soon as possible.

The Head teacher has the discretion to authorise leave of absence in extenuating circumstances.  Please note that all other leave of absence, such as holidays, weddings, festivals will be recorded as unauthorised absence. Long absences from school have a negative impact on progress of your child. We are required by law to publish details of unauthorised absences.

Please bear in mind that if the school has unauthorised the absence, on your child’s return to school the paper work for a fine will be raised and forwarded to the Education Welfare Worker. Currently the fine stands at £60 per parent per child if paid within 21 days, increasing to £120 per parent per child and if there is further non-payment after 28 days court action may be taken.

If a child is not present at the beginning of a school term, we cannot guarantee that a place will remain available on their return to school.  You should make definite arrangements so that you return in good time.  If you experience delays in returning from a trip within the UK or abroad, for whatever reason, the school will require documentary evidence in English (or translated) accompanied with proof of original return dates, i.e. tickets or travel documentation. Please keep the school updated regularly if there are any changes to your travel plans.

Persistent Absence

Should a child’s attendance fall below 90%, they are automatically defined as a Persistent Absentee. If a child’s attendance falls below 50%, then they are termed as Severely Absent. Both situations present chronic problems for pupils. In this case, meetings with parents will take place and plans will be implemented. This can also involve the Educational Social Worker to support the family and child.

Punctuality:

Good punctuality is essential for children to achieve their full potential. Being punctual is a life skill and shows respect for others.  It is also vital to form good habits for later life. We would ask parents to support us in maintaining punctuality by:

* Ensuring that their children get up in plenty of time to be ready and prepared for school

* Ensuring their child has organised their bag and equipment the night before so that this does not delay departure in the morning

* Discussing any issues of lateness with staff to ensure this does not become a habit

To promote good attendance the following will be in place in the school

• Good attendance certificates at the end of each half term for individual children and a class

For the Attendance Policy for Parents please visit the Policies Page.