Attendance and Punctuality at Thornton in Craven Community Primary School
There is a clear link between poor attendance at school and lower academic achievement. Regular attendance and punctuality are very important. Attendance is monitored every half term and reported to the Governing body at the end of term. Children who frequently miss school often fall behind with their work because they fail to learn the basics which are built upon later. Poor attendance can also lead to feelings of isolation and disengagement from learning. The minimum level of attendance at Thornton in Craven CP School is 96%.
- Absence due to Illness
Minor illnesses/ailments such as coughs and colds are not usually a reason to keep a child at home, if your child is ill but they can get up and play or watch TV then they should be at school but occasionally there will be times when children are simply too poorly to attend school. If your child is ill, please follow the procedures below:
Illness: For absences of up to 7 days, parents/carers must contact school by telephone and leave a message giving the reason for absence before 9am. If the absence is likely to be prolonged, keep school informed each day. If no message is received, the parent/carer will be contacted by school. If school is unable to contact the parent/carer, they will get in touch with the other contacts listed for the child, to ascertain the reason for absence. If school receives no response to any of the requests, they will consider contacting Social Services or the Police to check on the welfare of the child.
If your child has an upset stomach, they must remain at home until 48 hours after the last incident of sickness and / or diarrhoea.
Medical Appointments: Absence can be authorised by the school for absence for medical or dental appointment during the school day however every effort must be made to try to make these appointments outside of school time.
- Lateness
The school day starts at 9am prompt. Children who arrive after 9am will be marked 'late' in the school register. The register will close at 9.05am and children arriving after 9.10 will be marked as 'unauthorised absence'. Arriving late means that your child will miss important instructions for the day as well as learning time. Unauthorised absence due to lateness which contributes to attendance below 90% (persistent absence) may mean that the Local Authority become involved and parents/carers may be at risk of prosecution.
- Requests for Leave of Absence
Occasionally parents/carers may require their child to be absent due to other reasons. A request for leave of absence in term time must be made to the Headteacher.
Please note that:
- Each leave application is considered individually, taking into account any factors presented by the family.
- Leave of absence will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
- Holidays in Term Time
Parents / carers are not entitled to take their children on holiday during term time. Parents / carers who take a child on leave in term time without the permission of the school risk being issued with a penalty notice fine for unauthorised absences.
- Persistent Absence
Attendance is monitored each term by governors. Attendance below 90% is classed as persistent absence. School will notify parents/carers if there are concerns about your child’s attendance. The Local Authority may become involved and parents/carers may be at risk of prosecution.
What the law says...
As a parent, ensuring your child's regualar attendance at school is your legal responsibility and permitting absence from school without good reason is an offence and may result in a refferal to the Education Welfare Service, the issue of Penalty Notices and fines and eventually prosecustion.
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