Illness and Absence
At Maple Infants’ School we promote excellent attendance for all pupils in order to ensure that they reach their full potential. We encourage all of our pupils and families to share this ethos and we work together with parents in order to achieve high levels of attendance and punctuality throughout ours chool. School attendance and punctuality is also monitored as part of the school’s safeguarding procedures. In some cases, concerns regarding attendance and punctuality may be referred to the Single Point of Access team within the Local Authority.
EVERY DAY IS IMPORTANT!
Pupils need to attend school regularly to benefit from their education. Poor school attendance leaves pupils vulnerable to falling behind and children with poor attendance often achieve less in school.
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Registers Attendance registers are taken at the start of the each school day and again at the start of the afternoon after lunch. Please support us in ensuring you child arrives punctually as follows: Morning Nursery to arrive no later than 8.30am Afternoon Nursery to arrive no later than 12.30pm Main School to arrive no later than 8.55am Unplanned absence Parents must notify the school on the first day of an unplanned absence – for example, if their child is unable to attend due to ill health – by 9am or as soon as practically possible. Parents may telephone the school office (020 8399 3341) or email the office to report their child’s absence [email protected] Absence due to illness will be authorised unless the school has a genuine concern about the authenticity of the illness. If the child has to attend a hospital or therapy appointment evidence must be provided, and where possible, these should be arranged out of school time. |
Following up absence The school will follow up any absences via telephone call, email or face to face to ascertain the reason for the absence. The school will also ensure that proper safeguarding action is taken where necessary, and will identify whether the absence is approved or not and identify the correct attendance code to use. Please be aware…. If the school has not heard from the parent by 9.30am then we will start to call all of the contact numbers that have previously been provided in order to gain an explanation for the absence. If we still have not been able to ascertain where the child is then we will make a home visit. However if we still haven’t been able to get a response then we will need to consult with Children's Services for further advice. |
Authorised and Unauthorised Absence
Granting approval for term-time absence The Head Teacher will not grant any leave of absence to pupils during term time unless they consider there to be 'exceptional circumstances'.
Applications for Leave of Absence must be made at least 2 weeks in advance, unless in emergency situations, and failure to do so will result in the absence being unauthorized. If a pupil’s attendance is already at or below 90% then any leave of absences, except for medical reasons, will automatically be unauthorised.
Exceptional circumstances are by their nature very hard to define. At Maple Infants’ School each request is carefully considered and the Head Teacher decides whether exceptional circumstances can be identified. They are however considered to be unique one off events that cannot reasonably be carried out at any other time.
The school considers each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the Head Teacher’s discretion.
Valid reasons for authorised absence include:
Examples of unauthorised absence include;
In the majority of cases a parents’ note explaining that they child was ill can be accepted without question or concern. However, in exceptional circumstances further evidence of a child’s illness may be requested. Additional medical evidence may be requested when;
Frequent unauthorised absences will be referred to the Education Welfare Officer.
Please note that only absences relating to medical reasons or illness will be authorised during specific assessment periods for certain year groups.
These are as follows;
Year 2: the month of May due to end of key stage assessments
Year 1: phonics screening week in June
Year 2 pupils who did not take the phonic screening check or are required to re-take the check)
ALL STUDENTS - ALL ABSENCE EXCEPT FOR MEDICAL REASONS DURING THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEPTEMBER TERM WILL BE UNAUTHORISED
Applications for Leave of Absence must be made at least 2 weeks in advance, unless in emergency situations, and failure to do so will result in the absence being unauthorized. If a pupil’s attendance is already at or below 90% then any leave of absences, except for medical reasons, will automatically be unauthorised.
Exceptional circumstances are by their nature very hard to define. At Maple Infants’ School each request is carefully considered and the Head Teacher decides whether exceptional circumstances can be identified. They are however considered to be unique one off events that cannot reasonably be carried out at any other time.
The school considers each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the Head Teacher’s discretion.
Valid reasons for authorised absence include:
- Illness and medical/dental appointments – as explained
- Religious observance – where the day is exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the pupil’s parents belong. If necessary, the school will seek advice from the parents’ religious body to confirm whether the day is set apart
- Traveller pupils travelling for occupational purposes – Absence may be authorised only when a Traveller family is known to be travelling for occupational purposes and has agreed this with the school but it is not known whether the pupil is attending educational provision
- Where there has been a family bereavement
- Where the school is satisfied that unavoidable circumstances prevented attendance, e.g. extreme weather
Examples of unauthorised absence include;
- If a pupil is absent without prior notification and no explanation is provided for absence
- Where the absence could have been avoided
- TERM TIME HOLIDAYS
In the majority of cases a parents’ note explaining that they child was ill can be accepted without question or concern. However, in exceptional circumstances further evidence of a child’s illness may be requested. Additional medical evidence may be requested when;
- attendance is less than 90%
- there are frequent odd days absence reported as illness
- the same reasons for absence are frequently repeated
- there is a particular medical issue and school may need evidence to seek advice
Frequent unauthorised absences will be referred to the Education Welfare Officer.
Please note that only absences relating to medical reasons or illness will be authorised during specific assessment periods for certain year groups.
These are as follows;
Year 2: the month of May due to end of key stage assessments
Year 1: phonics screening week in June
Year 2 pupils who did not take the phonic screening check or are required to re-take the check)
ALL STUDENTS - ALL ABSENCE EXCEPT FOR MEDICAL REASONS DURING THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEPTEMBER TERM WILL BE UNAUTHORISED
Please click on the image to download a
Leave of Absence Request Form
Leave of Absence Request Form
If your child has an accident or becomes ill during the school day, we will contact you to take him/her home. In the case of sickness or diarrhoea it is important that your child should remain at home for at least 48 hours. Please ensure that we have an up-to-date telephone number (home and work) for you and another nominated contact who can collect your child in an emergency.
Please do not send your child to school with medicines (including cough sweets, lip salves etc.) as we are unable to give them to children, unless it is prescribed by a medical professional (e.g. inhalers for asthma), in which case a Parental Agreement for School to Administer Medicine must be completed. This is available from the school office.
WE CAN ONLY ADMINISTER MEDICATIONS THAT ARE IN DATE AND ARE SUPPLIED TO THE SCHOOL, IN THE DISPENSING CHEMISTS BOX. WE CANNOT ADMINISTER CALPOL, UNLESS PRESCRIBED.
Please do not send your child to school with medicines (including cough sweets, lip salves etc.) as we are unable to give them to children, unless it is prescribed by a medical professional (e.g. inhalers for asthma), in which case a Parental Agreement for School to Administer Medicine must be completed. This is available from the school office.
WE CAN ONLY ADMINISTER MEDICATIONS THAT ARE IN DATE AND ARE SUPPLIED TO THE SCHOOL, IN THE DISPENSING CHEMISTS BOX. WE CANNOT ADMINISTER CALPOL, UNLESS PRESCRIBED.