When does my child need to be in school?
Your child should be at school in good time for registration. The morning register will be called promptly at 8.45am and the afternoon register at 1.00pm.
What happens if my child is late?
Registration is at 8.45am in the morning and 1.00pm in the afternoon.
If your child arrives between 8.45 and 9.00am he/she will be marked late.
If your child arrives after 9.00am he/she will be marked absent.
If your child arrives between 1.00pm and 1.15pm he/she will be marked late.
If your child arrives after 1.15pm he/she will be marked absent.
Pupils who arrive after registration should report to the school office, and sign the Late Book. If a pupil is late on more than 3 occasions in a half term a meeting may be arranged with the Attendance Officer to discuss reasons/difficulties for lateness.
Will a phone call explaining my child’s absence suffice?
We would expect a parent to telephone the school on the first day of absence. If you do not phone us, we will phone you. We would expect a phone call on each morning of the absence unless we have been informed of a medical issue that meant the child could not return to school within 3 days. See Illness Procedures for more details.
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.
What reasons will the school accept for absences?
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.
What is unacceptable?
The school will not authorise absence for day trips, visiting relatives, shopping, birthdays or looking after brothers or sisters, etc.
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.
I am thinking about sending my child on an extended absence for an overseas trip to visit relatives. What should I do?
Unless a parent is a member of their country's Armed Forces, the school will not authorise this absence, and even then each case will be taken on it's own merit. Even though we recognise that the expense is likely to be much higher, we ask that these trips be taken in conjunction with the school's official holiday periods. Please note that even for Armed Services absence, the school will not authorise absences that will take place during your child’s SATs month.
What can I do to encourage my child to attend school?
Make sure your child gets enough sleep and gets up in plenty of time each morning. Ensure that he/she leaves home in the correct clothes and properly equipped. Show your child, by your interest, that you value his/her education. Your child should bring his/her home-school book and reading book home each evening. Please ensure you look at them with your child and sign it ready for the next day.
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. 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.
In some cases you may find it helpful to discuss the circumstances of your child’s difficulties with an Education Welfare Officer. The school may also refer you to an Education Welfare Officer who works with staff and families if difficulties with attendance arise. The Education Attendance Service is based at:
Area Education Welfare Office
Bottisham Locality Childrens Centre, 19 Lode Road, Bottisham, CB25 9DJ
Tel: 01223 475 900
ADDITIONAL ATTENDANCE INFORMATION
CHANGES TO ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES SEPT 2015
We must advise all parents of the following:
Attendance: With effect from September 2015 schools have been advised by the government’s Department for Education (DfE) that the Persistent Absence (PA) threshold will be reduced to 10%. Until this date it has been 15%. This means that if a child/young person has an overall attendance of 90% or less over a given period, they will be classified as a persistent absentee pupil. Parents will be advised by the school if attendance is a concern, either by a letter or they will be requested to attend a meeting in school. If attendance fails to improve during a monitoring period , the case may be referred to Cambridgeshire County Council for a Penalty Notice fine to be issued to parents/carers. These Penalty Notices currently stand at £60 per parent per child if paid within 21 days or £120 if paid within 21 and 28 days.
Medical: Any medical appointments must be verified with evidence such as an appointment card or prescription. Where medical appointments are made at the beginning of school, please ask for an appointment card to bring into school when your child returns –doctors receptionists will very quickly get used to this request as all authorities’ Education Welfare Officers are giving schools the same advice regarding appointments.
Holiday requests during term time: Holiday requests will only be considered with exceptional circumstances. Through section 444A and 444B of the Education Act 1996, it has become possible that applicable cases of unauthorised absence can be dealt with by way of a penalty notice (PN). Authorised Officers have the discretion to issue a penalty notice without warning where the parent/carer has chosen to take the child on leave without authorisation or evidence is subsequently found to suggest a child was away from school with the knowledge of the parent.
If you wish to request authorisation of a pupil absence due to exceptional circumstances please click here (Virtual Office - Holidays) for further information and for a copy of our Absence Request Form.