Attendance and Absence

Regular attendance is important for children's learning, wellbeing, friendships and sense of belonging. We want every child to attend school regularly and on time, while recognising that there will be occasions when absence is unavoidable.

Reporting an absence

If your child is unable to attend school, please let us know as soon as possible on the first day of absence by calling 01299 403796 and selecting the absence option, or by contacting the school office.

Please tell us the reason for the absence and, where known, when you expect your child to return. Unless another arrangement has been agreed with school, please continue to update us on subsequent days of absence.

If your child is absent and we have not received an explanation, we will contact you and, where necessary, other emergency contacts. Unexplained absence will always be followed up as part of our attendance and safeguarding procedures.

Illness and medical appointments

If your child is too unwell to attend school, their absence will normally be authorised once you have informed us of the reason. We do not routinely ask parents to provide medical evidence for illness, although we may ask for appropriate information where absence is prolonged or repeated or where there is genuine uncertainty about the reason.

Where possible, medical and dental appointments should be made outside the school day. If this is unavoidable, please let us know in advance and arrange for your child to attend school before and/or after the appointment where practicable.

Term-time leave

Leave of absence during term time can only be authorised in the circumstances permitted by law. Holidays and leisure trips will not normally be considered exceptional circumstances.

Any request for leave should be made in advance using the school's Leave of Absence Request form. Each request will be considered individually by the Headteacher, taking account of the particular circumstances.

Unauthorised absence may result in a Penalty Notice being requested from Worcestershire County Council. The national threshold for considering a Penalty Notice is 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a rolling period of 10 school weeks. Reaching this threshold does not automatically result in a Penalty Notice; each case is considered individually and in accordance with the National Framework and Worcestershire County Council's procedures.

Being on time

We offer a staggered start to the school day:

Reception, Year 1 & 2 (Key Stage Two): 8:20-8:30am
Years 3-6 (Key Stage Two): 8:30-8:40am

Children arriving after their phase's start time will be recorded as late.

The school's morning register closes at 9:00am. A pupil arriving after 9:00am will normally be recorded as U – late after the register has closed, which is recorded as an unauthorised absence for that morning session.

Supporting good attendance

We monitor attendance and punctuality regularly so that we can identify emerging concerns early. If a child's attendance begins to cause concern, we will contact their family to understand what may be affecting attendance and consider what support might help.

Persistent absence is defined nationally as missing 10% or more of possible school sessions. However, we do not wait for a child to reach a particular percentage before offering support where there is an emerging pattern or concern.

Where difficulties continue, we may work with families and other services, including Worcestershire County Council, to put appropriate support in place. We recognise that some children may face greater barriers to attendance than others and will consider individual circumstances, SEND, health needs and reasonable adjustments when deciding how best to support them.

Attendance Policy

You can find full details of our approach to attendance and punctuality, including authorised and unauthorised absence, leave of absence, support for pupils experiencing barriers to attendance and the National Framework for Penalty Notices, in our Attendance Policy.