Page 13 - Thorns Primary Prospectus 2017

ATTENDANCE

“Regular attendance at school is crucial in raising standards of education and in ensuring every
child can meet their full potential. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling
behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary
school”

The Head Teachers and Governing Bodies across the Stour Valley Learning Community, take
very seriously their responsibilities for pupils’ attendance. Together we have agreed a common
Attendance Policy. Though some variations exist within these schools, the main body of the
policy has been formally agreed by the Head Teachers and Governing Bodies of the following
schools:

Brierley Hill Primary School St Mary’s RC Primary School
Mount Pleasant Primary School Thorns Primary School
Quarry Bank Primary School Withymoor Primary School

What the law says about School Attendance:
“If a child of compulsory school age, who is a registered pupil at a school, fails to attend
regularly, without reasonable justification, then his/her parent is guilty of an offence and can
be prosecuted”.

Our School’s Attendance Officer monitors and, where appropriate, will support parents.

There is an expectation that over the course of an academic year, a child’s attendance will be
96% or more. Absence that falls below 90% is categorised by the Government as persistent
absence.

Absence due to illness
Children who are genuinely poorly are not expected to attend school and an authorised code
will be used. In more extreme cases where the child is unlikely to return to school for an
extended period of time, the school will arrange for Home and Hospital Educational Support
to be put in place and at this point the child may become ‘dual registered’. However, where
the child’s repeated absence due to illness is becoming a concern, the Head Teacher may
decide to remove the right to the authorised code, and unauthorise further absences due to
illness, particularly if the absences total between 5 and 10 days. The Head Teacher may ask
the parent to provide information that supports the parent’s view that the child is too unwell
to return/attend school eg prescriptions, appointment cards/letters. The Head Teacher will
notify the parent of this decision in writing.
In order to avoid this, it is essential that parents inform the school of any health concerns
that may be affecting the child’s ability to attend school regularly.

If your child is too ill to attend school
If you feel that your child cannot take part in the school’s activities and would be better
remaining at home then you must contact the school as soon as possible on the
first/each day of absence before 9:30 am. Failure to do so constitutes a breach of this
policy.
The person ringing will be asked to identify themselves and clearly give the reason for the
absence.

If your child has a medical appointment then you must:
Contact the school prior to the appointment to ask for approved arrangements for your child
to be collected/returned to school as close to the appointment time as possible. The school
will ask to see a copy of the appointment time/letter. The school will not authorise the
absence unless they have seen a copy of the letter/appointment card before the
appointment. Wherever possible, ensure appointments are made outside of school hours.
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