What are the times of the school day, and what happens if my child is late?
From September 2024, our gates are open from 08.35am, ready for learning to begin at 8:45am.
All pupils will finish school at 3:15pm.
If pupils arrive later than 8:45am, they will receive a late mark and will need to sign in at the main reception. Where pupils are late without an acceptable reason or are repeatedly late, parents may be asked to attend a meeting. After the morning register has closed at 09.15am, a pupil will be marked with a U code which is an absence.
What is good attendance?
It is important that all children are in the classroom as often as possible. Children should be settled in the classroom prior to morning & afternoon registration. Good attendance means being in school every day that children can attend. If we are concerned that your child’s attendance is not where it should be, we will contact you.
Good attendance helps children to make and maintain friendships, and friendships are a protective factor for good mental health.
We recognise good and improving attendance with celebrations throughout the year, and, most importantly, by maintaining excellent attendance we enable all pupils to achieve their potential and flourish at Batchley First School.
What is poor attendance?
Poor attendance means missing school when it is not absolutely necessary. For example, when a child is a little bit unwell but could still attend school, or missing lessons for appointments which could have been scheduled outside of school.
Where pupils’ attendance is poor, school will review what support is in place for your child and work together with families to improve this. We want to work with families to ensure all pupils have good attendance which enables them to succeed in school. Please contact us if you have concerns about your child’s attendance and we will work together to improve this.
Where we are monitoring a child because of poor attendance, we may seek support from with the Local Authority to improve attendance. This can include issuing fines for non-attendance.
How should I decide if my child is too ill to attend school?
The NHS has produced some excellent guidance where you can check if your child is well enough to attend school: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/. Please ensure you have checked this website before deciding to keep your child off school.
How do I inform you that my child is not going to be in school?
Children should be in school every day unless it is absolutely necessary to keep your child at home. If your child is too ill for school, you must phone the school office EVERY day of the absence unless school has agreed otherwise.
What should I do if my child has a medical condition that may impact on their attendance?
It is important that school know if your child has a medical condition that may impact their attendance. This helps us to make sure they have all the support they need in school to succeed. Please ensure you have contacted Mrs Firth (attendance officer) and notified her of any on-going medical needs.
How do I request a leave of absence for school?
Please be aware we are unable to authorise leave of absence from school except for in especially exceptional circumstances. Law Regulations make it clear that parents do not have any right or entitlement to take a child out of school for the purposes of a term-time holiday. Therefore, holidays should not be booked in term time.
If you would like to request a leave of absence from school, you will receive a response informing you whether it has been granted or not. You must complete your form prior to the leave of absence. Ideally school require at least 2 weeks notice.
Please ask the school office to provide you with a form.
Who should I contact to discuss attendance further?
Mrs Firth is a point of contact for your attendance questions. You can contact her by emailing or calling the school office. You can also speak to your child’s class teacher or the main office.