If your child is going to be absent/late

• Telephone: 01404 822501 (before 9am)
• Please state a full reason, e.g. temperature, sickness, severe cold.
• Avoid vague reasons such as ‘ill’, or ‘under the weather’.

We have a 48 hour rule for any sickness/diarrhoea related to a virus to try to prevent any outbreaks. Please ensure that if your child has suffered with either of these, they remain absent from school for a clear 48 hour period from the last episode.

If a child is absent without explanation – first day contact process

• All registers will be checked by 9.30am
• All of the missing child’s contacts will be telephoned until we have a response
• A text will also be sent
• A welfare knock at the house may be conducted
• The police or multi-agency safeguarding hub may be called

Lateness

The class register opens at 08.55 am and closes at 9.00am. If your child arrives after the register has started at 08.55 am but before it has closed at 9.00am they will be coded as late (L). If they arrive after 9.00am they will be coded as arriving unacceptably late - after the register has closed - (U) which is an unauthorised absence.

Please ensure that all children Rec-Y6 access the building via the school office, and not the Nursery gate if it is after 9am. This will ensure their school meal preference is logged and any closed registers will be amended.

Absence requests

Before choosing to keep your child off school, please read 'Inspiring Excellence - Attendance' at the top of this page. 

If your child needs to be away from school, for any reason, please complete an absence request form (S2) or bring in a copy of the medical appointment letter/card.  Wherever possible, please ensure you give the school at least 2 weeks' notice. Holiday requests will not be authorised and may be reported to Devon County Council (in accordance with Government guidelines), which may result in a penalty notice. 

Good attendance in school correlates to the educational achievements of children.  Official research by the DfE shows, in general, the higher the percentage of sessions missed across the Key Stage, the lower the likely level of attainment at the end of Key Stage 2.  In particular, pupils with no absence are 1.6 times more likely to achieve Age Related Expectations or above, and 4.7 times more likely to achieve above Age Related Expectations than pupils that missed 15-20% of all sessions.

Policy

Further information can also be found by viewing our Pupil Attendance Policy and related appendices: