Parents/carers of pupils who will not be attending school are required to contact the school office before 9.00am.

Please ensure you state your child's name, year group and the reason for absence. Please speak clearly and spell any unusual names. Please note you must call for each day of absence.

By law, only the school can authorise an absence. The Local Authority’s Education Support Service (ESS) investigates unexplained absences.

What if I don’t contact the school?

If contact is not made to the school with a reason for a pupil’s absence, a text message is sent to the identified primary contact after the morning register has been taken. Further enquiries for the reason for absence will be taken by the school when there has been no response and safeguarding procedures will be followed. This may include telephone calls being made and home visits being completed.

Planned Absence

Attending a medical or dental appointment will be counted as authorised. The pupil’s parent/carer must notify the school in advance of the appointment. However, we encourage parents/carers to make medical and dental appointments out of school hours when possible. Where this is not possible, the pupil should attend school before and after the appointment where appropriate, so that the loss of learning is minimal. 

Concerns with attendance.

We have a duty to work closely with the Local Authority regarding any pupils whose attendance is causing a concern. Our aim will always be to work with families and provide support where appropriate in order to prevent further action being taken.

We monitor the attendance and punctuality of every pupil and will contact families to discuss concerns and work with you to overcome any barriers that are preventing regular and punctual attendance.

Our staff can offer a range of support strategies designed to assist families and effect positive outcomes. Staff can also signpost families to relevant external agencies and assist them in the process of accessing that support if appropriate.