Reporting a Student Absence
Parents/guardians must contact the Centre their child attends by 9:30 am on the first day of absence. Please provide a reason for the absence and, if possible, an expected return date.
If a student has not arrived by 9:30 am and no absence has been reported, the Centre will contact parents/guardians to obtain a reason for the absence.
Understanding Your Role in Supporting School Attendance
Ensuring that your child attends school regularly is essential for their learning, well-being, and development. This page highlights key information regarding attendance, so you know what’s expected from you as a parent, and how schools and local authorities will work with you to support your child’s attendance.
What are your responsibilities as a parent?
- Daily Attendance: Your child must attend school every day unless they are too ill, have permission for a leave of absence, or in rare cases like religious observances.
- Notifying Absences: If your child is unable to attend, inform the school as soon as possible. For medical appointments, try to schedule them outside of school hours.
- Leave Requests: Leave of absence should only be requested in exceptional circumstances, and holidays during term time are generally not allowed.
How will schools support you and your child?
Schools are committed to helping every child attend regularly. They will:
- Monitor Attendance: Schools track and address attendance issues early, ensuring that they work with you to identify and solve any problems.
- Offer Support: If your child is struggling to attend due to illness, special needs, or any other issues, the school will provide the necessary support and work with local authorities to help remove barriers.
- Collaboration: In cases where more help is needed, schools may work with other services, like health professionals or local councils, to ensure your child receives holistic support.
What happens if attendance problems persist?
If your child is persistently absent:
- Action Plans: Schools may develop action plans or attendance contracts with your involvement to improve attendance.
- Escalation: If informal support isn’t successful, schools may consider more formal actions, like education supervision orders or legal steps.
- Legal Intervention: Penalty notices or fines may be issued if unauthorised absences continue, especially for holidays during term time.
Additional Support for Specific Groups
- Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) or Disabilities: Schools will make adjustments and provide additional support for pupils with medical conditions or disabilities, working with families to ensure regular attendance.
- Children with a Social Worker or in Care: Special attention will be given to ensuring that children with a social worker or looked-after children attend regularly, with added academic and emotional support.
- Help for Families in Difficult Situations: If external factors like transport or housing issues are affecting attendance, schools and local authorities will work together to provide practical assistance.
By working together, we can help your child enjoy a positive, consistent school experience. For full details, please refer to the linked documents below.
Download the guide for parents on school attendance
Download the summary table of responsibilities for school attendance
Is my child too ill for school?
It’s often hard to know when to keep your child home from school due to illness. The following guidelines can help you decide:
- High Temperature: Keep your child at home until their temperature returns to normal.
- Coughs and Colds: If it’s just a minor cough or cold, they can still go to school. Keep them home if they have a high temperature.
- Vomiting/Diarrhoea: Keep your child home for at least 48 hours after the last episode.
- Chickenpox: Stay home until all spots have crusted over (around 5 days).
- COVID-19: If your child has mild symptoms (like a runny nose), they can go to school. If they have a high temperature or feel unwell, they should stay home.
- Sore Throats/Headaches: Fine to attend unless accompanied by a high temperature.
- Impetigo: Keep them off school until all the sores have crusted over and healed, or for 48 hours after they start antibiotic treatment.
- Measles: Keep your child off school for at least 4 days from when the rash first appears.
- Scarlet Fever: Your child can go back to school 24 hours after starting antibiotics.
- Scabies: Children aged 5 years or over can go back to school as soon as they have started first treatment.
For more detailed advice on specific conditions, and when it's safe for your child to return to school, click here.
