AttendancE & Absence reporting
"Success is earned one day at a time. Start by showing up.”
At The Huntspill Primary Academies , we work with our families to improve school attendance to allow our children to achieve incredible things.
We want and expect our children to attend school every day, unless they are unwell. Children who attend school regularly are more likely to feel settled and less anxious, maintain friendships, keep up with their learning and gain the greatest benefit from their education. Attending on time every day also helps pupils form good habits which can stay with them throughout their education and into the future.
Arriving at school on time
Arriving at school on time is not only essential for the children’s own learning, it encourages habits of good timekeeping and lessens any classroom disruption. Late arrival means pupils risk missing important information which can seriously disadvantage them.
Gates open at 8.30am at The Huntspill Primary School Academies and pupils are expected to arrive at school in good time for the start of the school day at 8.45am. Anyone arriving late to school after registration has closed will be marked as late.
Illness
Pupils should attend school every day the school is open unless they are really not well enough to. Minor ailments should not be a reason for staying at home. If your child attends school when feeling slightly under the weather, do let a member of staff know and we will monitor them and contact you if we think they need to go home. If you aren’t sure whether to send your child to school, please contact us at the school office .
If your child is too ill to attend, you must notify us before 9:15am on the first day of absence. If your child is ill for more than one day, you will need to notify the office on each morning of the absence, unless otherwise agreed.
To report an absence, please leave an absence message on Weduc or call the school office.
By law, schools must record all pupil absences and whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised.
Medical/dental appointments
Please try to avoid making and attending medical and dental appointments during school time. If this is unavoidable, arrange appointments so the minimum school time is lost. Unless it is an emergency appointment, parents/carers are expected to let the school know about the appointment in advance, with evidence of the appointment.
Reporting absence from school
● Where a pupil is to be absent from school without prior permission, the parent/carer should inform the school on the morning of the day of the first absence and let the school know when they expect the pupil to return. If the return date is not confirmed on the first day of absence, parents/carers must contact the school on each day of absence.
● On the day of return to the school, parents must also provide written confirmation of the
reason(s) for the full period of absence.
● Any unexplained absence will be followed up by the school promptly.
Unexplained absences
The school will follow up any pupil absences where the parent/carer has not contacted us to explain why, or where we are unclear about the reason for absence. If you fail to notify us of the reason for your child’s absence, it will be recorded as unauthorised.
Where the school has cause for concern about the reason for a pupil’s absence, staff may seek additional information or evidence from parents/carers, and/or make a home visit to verify the reason. Unauthorised absences may result in a penalty notice or prosecution.
Important reminder about term-time leave
Attending school every day helps children and young people maximise their learning and enjoy the benefits of their education. It really does make a difference. For that reason, the school will not authorise any leave of absence in term time, unless satisfied the reason is exceptional.
We ask parents and carers to request permission in advance, and only if absolutely necessary. Any requests should be put in writing via the appropriate form (available from the school office ) and wherever possible with at least four weeks’ notice. The parent or carer who the child normally lives with should make the application. Parents/carers are reminded that unauthorised term-time leave may result in a penalty notice or prosecution.
Attendance Policy
EHPA - Attendance Leaflet
WHPA - Attendance Leaflet
To view our attendance policy click here
Click here to view ‘Working Together To Improve School Attendance‘ – The Department of Education
HOW TO CONTACT US ...
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Telephone: 01278 783842
Email: west@thpa.theplt.org.uk |
Telephone: 01278 782453
Email: east@thpa.theplt.org.uk |
We take safeguarding very seriously and it is imperative that we know our pupils are safe, well and accounted for. With this in mind please can we remind you that any absences for your child/children need to be reported daily to the school office.
This can be done through a number of different ways:
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* Ring the school office and select absence line to record a voicemail message
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* Ring the school office and speak directly to the office staff ( during school hours)
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* Report through Weduc by selecting your child and click on ‘report an absence’
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* Email the school office |