Why should your child be at school?

Apart from developing skills, knowledge and friendships in a rich learning environment, there is an expectation from the school that when children become part of our school community, they will attend regularly.

From the term after a child is five years old, there is a statutory requirement for him/her to receive full-time education.

When should your child be at school?

Every day during school term time, except for INSET days, illness or authorised absence.

When should your child be absent from school?

If your child is unwell, if your child has not had a clear 48 hour gap from the last bout of sickness or diarrhoea or if your child has been granted written authorised leave from school.

Parents/carers should contact the school on the first day of illness, to let the office staff know that their child will not be at school.

If the school does not receive notification of the child’s absence, a member of the office staff will telephone the parent/carer on the first day of absence for an explanation.

Unauthorised absence during term time

Any absence which is not considered exceptional by the Head will be unauthorised.

We have the right to consider whether to accept the parents/carers position with regard to medical absence as there are occasions when parents report parentally condoned absence to the school as medical absence. If the school has concerns that the illness may not either be genuine or warrant the amount of absence accruing, the school may ask the parent to substantiate the illness by asking to see additional evidence such as an appointment card or medical certificate. It is at the discretion of the Headteacher whether to authorise absence and they can refuse to authorise absence if, after considering all the available information, they believe that the pupil’s absence does not appear to be caused by genuine illness. If the school chooses not to authorise the absence it will notify the parent or carer of this in writing. Please refer to the school’s Absence and Attendance Policy which is available from the main school office or on the school website.

Medical Appointments

Wherever possible, please make medical and dental appointments towards the end of the school day, or preferably after school has finished so that your child does not miss valuable learning time.

Our school policy requires ALL parents to bring in evidence such as an appointment card or letter to authorise the absence,

Please be aware that medical appointments will affect your child’s attendance level.

As well as promoting good attendance at Wynndale, we also work hard to encourage good punctuality in school.

Registration

Morning registration is at 8:45am and children need to be in school by this time. School gates will be open from 8:30am and classroom doors open at 8:35am to allow time for registration. Doors close at 8:45am; after this time, children must enter school via the main entrance, coming through the office.

What happens when your child is late?

Arrival after 8:45am will be marked as late in the register (L code). Any children arriving after 9:15am will be marked as an unauthorised absence (U code) in line with the DfE (Department for Education) guidance.

It is important for children to be on time each day. The first few minutes of the learning day are used for things like class briefings, reading and changing reading books, undertaking learning activities, interventions and to set the children up for the rest of the day. If children miss this start, their learning for the whole day can be detrimentally affected. Late arrivals are also disruptive to the whole class and often very embarrassing for the child themselves.

Should we have a concern about your child’s lateness, we will contact you either by telephone or by letter.

If your child is persistently late for 10 separate instances (marked as a U code) over a period of 10 school weeks, a Penalty Notice can be issued by the Local Authority.

Holidays During Term Time

Holidays within term-time are not permitted due to Amendments to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2007, applicable from 1st September 2013. The Headteacher may not grant leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.  Therefore no leave for the purpose of a holiday will be authorised.

Penalty Notices

If the school refuses your application and you still withdraw your child from school, the absences will be treated as unauthorised. If the school has evidence that a parent/carer has removed a child from school for the purposes of a holiday during term time without authorisation and the level of absence is 5 days (10 sessions) in total over a 10 week rolling period, then the Local Authority will issue Penalty Notices to each parent/carer for each child to whom unauthorised absence applies or a Summons for irregular school attendance.

If you know your child is going to be absent from school, you are asked to contact the school office by telephone or in person by 9:00am, giving the reason for the absence.

We ask that you phone school on EACH DAY of your child’s absence, not just the first day.

If no call is received, school will make contact with you to establish the reason for their absence.

Types of Absence

Authorised:

Some absences are allowed by law and are known as authorised absences. Examples of acceptable authorised absence are:

· Genuine illness

· Medical appointments which cannot be made outside of school hours

· A day set aside for religious observance

· A day to attend a family funeral

· Approved sporting activities

Unauthorised:

Absences where the reasons are not permitted by law are known as unauthorised absences. Examples of unauthorised absences include:

· Unauthorised holidays

· Going for a family day out

· Sibling or parent illness

· A child or family members birthday

· Going shopping

· Having a haircut

· Overslept or had a late night the night before

· Visiting friends or relatives

Rewarding Good Attendance