Attendance & Absence

The Headteacher, Governors and staff believe that children make the best progress when they attend school regularly. We hope that you will support us in ensuring that your child attends school regularly and on time. 

 Please refer to our current Attendance Policy which can be found under our School Policies.

Absence – Through Illness

Parents/carers must notify the school office as soon as possible, and by 9.00 am at the latest on the first day of a pupil’s absence through illness either in person or by telephone.  From that time, the school will assume that the child is away from school until they physically return.  In the case of older pupils who may come to school on their own, a telephone call from the parent to confirm their arrival will be required.

When a child is ill, it is the responsibility or the parents/carers to ensure that the child receives proper care.  The administering of medicines to children is also the responsibility of the parents, except in the case of chronic conditions such as asthma or other allergies, etc.  Should the child need medication to be administered in the middle of the day when the child is well enough to be at school, parents will be expected either to keep the child at home or to arrange to administer the medicine themselves, or nominate a representative if they believe a course of treatment to be necessary.  Should a child become ill whilst at school, we will endeavour to contact the parents/carers as soon as is practical to enable them to collect the child.

There are certain common diseases/illnesses which many children contract at some point in their childhood and we would ask you to adhere to the exclusion periods contained in the extract DfES Guidelines below in order to prevent widespread illness among the rest of the children at school and the staff.

Vomiting and/or Diarrhoea - children under 5 should not come to school until they are well and free from symptoms for 72 hours.  Children over 5 should be kept off for 48 hours.

Chickenpox/German Measles – These diseases can severely affect pregnant non-immune women in the first 20 weeks of gestation or in the last weeks of gestation.  Sufferers should be kept off for at least 5 days after spots first appear or until they become dry.

Headlice/Ringworm/Threadworm – These are very common in schools and nothing to be ashamed of.  We would ask you to let us know in the office if anyone in your family suspects they have headlice, ringworm or threadworm so that we may warn other parents to be on the lookout.  We will not disclose how we came about the information.

Common Cold, Sore Throat, etc – We would ask all parents not to send their children to school if they are suffering from anything more than a mild case.  Children who do attend school with severe symptoms do not learn well and merely spread the infection rapidly to others.

The School Office holds detailed Guidance Notes on Communicable Diseases for anyone unsure of how long a child should stay away from school when they are suffering from such an illness.

Absence – Other Than Illness

Medical Appointments - We would ask parents to try to ensure that medical appointments are made outside school times wherever possible, but failing that please try to make the appointments at either the beginning or the end of the school day. Please let the school office know in plenty of time when the appointment has been made for.

Holidays/Other - Parents do not have the right to take their children out of school.  If you wish to take your child out of school for any reason other than a medical appointment you must write to the Headteacher before you book the activity.  The school cannot authorise holiday absence.

Any requests for leave of absence should be made in writing to Miss Hilton. She will assess each case and only in exceptional circumstances may authorise an absence. Leave of absence will not be granted where it coincides with SATS exams:

From September 2014 Suffolk County Council will issue a penalty notice fine for unauthorised absences.