Attendance

Students who are unwell

A student who becomes ill at school should report to the teacher whose lesson is being attended.  If a student feels unwell while not in a lesson, he/she should go straight to the Medical Room. Our medical room is staffed by our Student Wellbeing Officer who is trained to deal with medical emergencies, such as  injuries and illnesses and to support students with long term health conditions.

The Student Wellbeing officer works closely with the district school nursing team and other health professionals to ensure that the medical needs of our students are met, including the coordination of vaccination programs in school.  Parents should contact the Student Wellbeing Officer to discuss medical concerns and students can see the Student Wellbeing Officer for advice on medical or health issues. The Student Wellbeing Officer works closely with the Attendance Office to ensure that parents can send their children to school, confident that the Student Wellbeing Officer will monitor their health and keep them informed.  

Should a student need to be sent home during the school day this will happen only if it can be confirmed that there is a responsible person to receive the student.  It is mainly for this reason that we ask students to provide an emergency telephone number for contacting parents, or someone who will be responsible for the student's safety.  To ensure safety for all, students should not contact you directly before attending the Medical Room as many minor ailments can be dealt with by the Student Wellbeing Officer.

Attendance

Great stress is placed upon punctuality and regular attendance.  Absence can officially be excused only for the personal illness of the student.  On the first day of absence, parents must telephone the

Absence Line on 01277 238901

or e-mail

to say why their child is absent and when they are likely return to school.

If no call or e-mail is received, the school will telephone home to find out the reason for unauthorised non-attendance.  This is so that we can ensure that students are safe.  Any absence which is not excused in this way will be followed up and may be passed to the school's Educational Welfare Officer for investigation.

Holidays during Term Time

The Government does not give any entitlement to parents to take their children out of school during term time.  The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 prohibits Headteachers granting leave of absence to a pupil except where an application has been made in advance and the Headteacher considers that there are exceptional circumstances relating to the application.  If leave is considered by parents or carers to be absolutely necessary, a holiday request letter or email should be completed and returned to the school at least two weeks before the proposed dates.  A reply will be sent, following consideration and if granted will include the conditions of approval.

Any term-time holiday will obviously affect a student's coverage of the curriculum in all years. The link between attendance and academic outcomes is very clear. Students with higher attendance achieve more in their exams.

Medical Appointments

Parents should try, where possible, to arrange all medical appointments outside of school hours.  Any student who has to leave school to attend a medical, or dental appointment during school hours must bring a written request from home, or an appointment card which should be shown to the Form Tutor who will initial it. The student then must sign out at the Attendance Office, upon leaving.  The student should also, out of courtesy, inform those teachers whose lessons he / she will miss.  Upon their return, students should sign in at the Attendance Office.

A proud partner in the Osborne Co-operative Academy Trust