School Absences

Absence due to illness

If a child is absent due to unexpected illness, parents are asked to contact the school each morning, so registration records can be maintained accurately. The school has a duty of care to ensure all absence is accounted for; without this, a "missing in education” investigation could be initiated.

Absence due to medical appointments 

Parents are kindly requested to arrange all routine medical appointments (dentist, opticians etc) outside school times, since this minimises disruption to the child's learning, as well as to the rest of the class. If an appointment has to be made during the school day, as soon as the date and time are known, parents are asked to pop into the office with the appointment card or appointment letter, so that a note can be made and the teacher advised of the forthcoming absence.

Absence due to family holidays during term time

As a result of the Supreme Court ruling on 6th April 2017, it was confirmed that the meaning of ‘regular attendance’ has to be ‘in accordance with attendance rules’ i.e. that pupils attend at all times as required by the school.

All requests for term time holiday absence must be made in writing at least two weeks before the proposed start of the holiday. Parents should be aware that holidays taken during the term time will not be authorised unless there are exceptional circumstances, as per Government regulations. Honesty is one of the core values of our school and we do appreciate parents notifying us of their intentions so children are not put in an awkward situation, they can share their experiences and we do not have to launch a “missing in education” investigation. 

If the school refuses your request and the child is still taken out of school, this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and noted on your child’s attendance record.  You could also be issued with a penalty notice. 

• Click here to download a term-time leave leaflet for parents.
• Please click here to download a term-time leave request form.

Absence due to early collection

The school day finishes at 3:10 pm for Ash Class and 3:15 pm for all other children. Collection before the end of the school day should only occur for exceptional circumstances. Parents should contact the school office so the reason for early collection can be considered and recorded. 

Absence due to other circumstances

Where absence from school is required for another reason than those stated above, parents must complete a term-time leave request form before the proposed event. The head teacher will review the request and contact the parents if further information is needed.

• Please click here to download a term-time leave request form.