Attendance
What to do when your child is absent from school?
- Telephone the school office, phone number 01202 886738 on the first day of absence to explain the exact reason why your child is away from school. Please avoid terms such as 'illness.'
- If your child is absent for more than one day, please inform the school for each subsequent day of absence.
- If your child has a medical or dental appointment please try to make them out of school hours if possible. If they are in school hours please bring in their appointment card or letter so we can put a copy in their file. We will not authorise more than half a day's absence for medical appointments unless there are very specific circumstances.
When will absences not be authorised?
The school will not authorise absence for any of the following reasons: holidays, shopping, looking after other members of the family, the illness of another family member, birthdays or similar events.
Lateness beyond 9.05am is recorded as unauthorised absence on our records. We monitor carefully pupils who arrive late for school and work with parents and carers to improve punctuality.
Why good attendance is important?
In recent years much research has been carried out on the effect that poor attendance can have on children’s progress at school and how well they achieve in life.
Children who do not attend school regularly often have the following problems:
- They are not able to keep up with their work
- It is difficult, in a busy school day, for teachers to find the time to help your child catch up
- Children who arrive late miss important parts of the lesson and disrupt the learning of other children in the class
This is why we make good attendance a top priority. By improving our attendance rates, we will improve the standards that our children achieve and provide them with better chances in life. We can only do this with your full support.
How parents and carers can help:
- Work together with us
- Send your child to school every day, on time, unless they are genuinely ill
- Avoid taking your child out of school for holidays or for appointments
Family holidays during term time
- The school does not authorise absence for family holidays during the school term
- Parents and carers who choose to take their child out of school for holidays should be aware that such absence will be recorded as 'unauthorised' on the child’s record.
What will happen if my child is often absent from school?
- The school monitors the attendance of all children
- If your child’s attendance falls below 95%, we will contact you to discuss the situation
- If absence continues, you will be invited to discuss the reasons for your child’s absence. Pam Skipp, our Parent Support Advisor may be invited to join the meeting.
- If necessary, a referral will be made to Dorset Attendance Service, so that the absence can be further investigated.
Penalty Notices
Penalty notices are issued by the Local Authority in selected cases where pupils have been absent from school without authorisation for at least 10 or more half days within a 12 week period. Arrangements for payment are detailed in the Penalty Notice. Currently penalties are set at £60 within 21 days of receipt, and thereafter £120.
What happens when my child is ill?
- There may be times when your child has to miss school because he, or she, is ill
- You should always contact the school on the first day of absence to let the teacher know that your child is unwell
It is important to let the school know if your child has ongoing health problems so that the right support can be put in place.