Absences From School

Reporting Absences due to Illness

We are required by law to keep pupil attendance records. We must ensure that parents/carers provide an explanation of their child’s absence from school. You are requested to ring or e-mail on the first day of absence and then every day after that. If we do not hear from you we will ring to find out the reason for absence. Your child’s absence may then be “authorised” by the Headteacher. If no explanation is received, despite reminders from the school, the absence is “unauthorised”. When parents are unable to bring their child to school themselves, alternative arrangements should be made if at all possible.

Planned Term-Time Absences

Parents do not have the right to remove their children from school in term-time. Any applications should be made prior to the planned absence using the form below. In our school no term-time absence will be authorised except in exceptional and unavoidable circumstances such as a family bereavement.  Absence for religious observance may be agreed by the Headteacher but will not exceed 2 days in any school year.

If an absence has not been authorised by the Headteacher and parents or carers remove their child from school, their child’s absence will be recorded as unauthorised in the class register.

Parents and carers who take their children out of school without permission may be issued with a fixed penalty notice.