Parents must inform the school office by telephoning 01723 351767 by 8.45am each day a child is unwell and will not be attending school.
A child who has been sick or who has diarrhoea should be kept away from school until they have been clear of the problem for 48 hours.
Medical/dental appointments should be made out of school hours. Where this is not possible the school will require notification prior to the absence and evidence must be provided, e.g. appointment card or letter. When a child is absent for a medical appointment it is expected that they will return to school immediately following the appointment.
Please contact the office for further guidance on specific illnesses & required length of absence.
It is crucial that parents adhere to this procedure to ensure that all pupils are safe and their whereabouts accounted for.
A registration system is in place to record attendance, lateness and absences. This complies with Government and L.A. guidelines.
Children line up in the playground from 8.40am and lessons start at 8.55am for Infants and 8.50am for Juniors. Any child arriving after these times must enter school via the main entrance and report to the office to be marked as present and to order their school lunch. It is very important that children coming in late enter school through the office so we have an accurate record of all children in school.
If a child arrives after registration closes they will be marked as an unauthorised absence for the whole morning. This is based on the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 and could be used as evidence against parents if legal action were to be considered by the Local Authority under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996.
Good attendance and punctuality at school is important and ensures continuous learning. School encourages good attendance through making the school day and pupils’ learning enjoyable. We aim to encourage a positive attitude to school to nurture learning in all pupils. Children need to feel that their contribution in school is valued and all staff care about them as individuals.
Our Attendance and Inclusion Officer is Miss Leigh Kirby. Miss Kirby is available to help you if you have any questions or concerns regarding any aspect of school attendance or your child’s wellbeing. She can be contacted via the school office on 01723 351767.
Long term Absences
Occasionally, some pupils experience health or other difficulties that prevent them from attending school for some time. School deals with each case individually, agreeing procedures for re-integrating these pupils with each family as the need arises. Please contact our Inclusion Team if your child would benefit from such an arrangement
The Department for Education requires Local Authorities to implement government regulations regarding the taking of Leave of Absence in term-time, which came into force on the 1st September 2013. The new law gives no entitlement to parents to take their child on holiday during term time.
Headteachers would not be expected to class any term time holiday as exceptional. Therefore the Headteacher will only be able to grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances and this will still be at the discretion of the Headteacher. No parent/carer can demand leave of absence as of right.
All applications for time off during term time must be made in advance by the parent/carer with whom the child lives. Each application is considered on an individual basis by the school taking into account any factors and evidence presented by the family. Application forms are available from the school office. Early discussions with parents around potential applications are welcomed – please contact Miss Kirby for more information.
An example of a circumstance for leave of absence, which may be considered as ‘exceptional’, is service personnel returning from active deployment.
The ability to access a reduced cost of a holiday does not constitute an exceptional circumstance.
Where a child is taken out of school for the purpose of leave of absence in term time without the permission of the school, the absence will be coded as unauthorised and as such may result in a Penalty Notice. Penalties are applied by the Local Authority and as such are not at the discretion of the headteacher. If a Penalty Notice is not paid, the matter may be taken to prosecution in the Magistrates Court.
Amendments to 2007 Penalty Notice regulations will reduce the timescales for paying a penalty notice. Parents must, from 1st September 2013, pay £60 within 21 days or £120 within 28 days. This brings attendance penalty notices in line with other types of penalty notices and allows local authorities to act faster on prosecution if the fine is not paid.
Taking a pupil on leave during term time interrupts teaching and learning and can disrupt your child’s educational progress.
Absences for part of the day
From time to time, pupils show symptoms of illness at school. School will contact parents and other family members if a child needs to go home. School asks parents to ensure we have up to date contact names and telephone numbers for this purpose.
In the event of School Closure
During winter months it occasionally becomes necessary to close the school due to adverse weather conditions. If this closure takes place at the start of the day we will alert parents/carers via our School App, our Facebook page, our Twitter feed, and it will be broadcast on Yorkshire Coast Radio. If the weather or other conditions mean that a decision is taken to close school during the school day parents and guardians will be contacted and asked to collect their children as soon as possible.