Astbury St Mary's School Absence and Attendance
What should I do if my child is ill?
If your child is ill and needs to stay off school, you must call Reception on 01260 272528 by 9:00am, each day that they will be absent.
If your child has any sickness and/or diarrhoea, you must keep them off school for a minimum of 48 hours from the last occurrence.
Leave of Absence Form
A leave of absence form must be completed in advance of the absence and returned to the school where it will need to be discussed with the head teacher. This discussion will contribute towards the final decision.
- It must clearly state on the form why it is necessary that this absence must be taken in term time.
- Lower cost/Holiday is not a reason.
- On receipt of the “Leave of Absence Request Form”, you will be sent a response
indicating whether the governing body is able to authorise your request or not.
Reasons for not authorising it might include:-
- Unsatisfactory attendance
- Time of year, e.g. if pupils are sitting Public Examinations
- If leave of absence has already been authorised during the current academic year
- It is a holiday request in school term time
- There does not appear to be an exceptional circumstance surrounding the reques
Fixed Penalty Notices
Information relating to fixed penalty notices can be found attached to this page, along side our attendance policy.
Attendance
What our schools expects of pupils:
To attend school every day, unless in exceptional circumstances.
To arrive on time, appropriately prepared for the day
To report to their class teacher for registration, or to the school office if late
To tell a member of staff if there is any problem which may prevent them from attending school
These expectations depend upon the age and needs of individual pupils.
What our schools expects of parents/carers
To fulfil their statutory responsibility by ensuring their children attend school regularly and on time.
To ensure they contact the school as per reporting procedures if their child is unable to attend.
To ensure their child arrives on time, and is well prepared for the day (equipment, homework
completed, PE kit etc.)
To contact the school (class teacher/headteacher/admin staff) whenever a problem arises that may
keep their child from attending school.
To inform the admin staff of any forthcoming appointments and, where possible, make appointments
outside of the school day. Evidence of an appointment must be shown to the school office staff.
Provide the school with more than one emergency contact number for their child
To take holidays in the school holiday period only; special leave in term time will only be authorised in
very exceptional circumstances – see appendix for list of absence codes.
What parents can expect of their school
The encouragement and promotion of good attendance
Regular, efficient and accurate recording of attendance
First day contact with parents when a pupil fails to attend school without providing prior notification
Prompt action when any problems are identified
Close liaison with the Education Welfare Officer, LEA and Early Help Team to assist and support
parents and pupils
Notification to parents/carers of their child’s attendance record through annual reports sent home.