WATER MILL PRIMARY SCHOOL 'Anything is Possible'
Late/Absence Procedures
Our Attendance Target
We have set a target of 96% attendance.
We are confident that all the children can hit this target and we look forward to working with all families to achieve this.
How does your child compare?
Attendance during one school year | Equals this number of days absent | Which is Approximately this many weeks | Which means this number of lessons |
90% | 19 days | 4 weeks | 100 lessons |
85% | 29 days | 6 weeks | 150 lessons |
80% | 38 days | 8 weeks | 200 lessons |
Don’t forget that good attendance results in children being able to:
- Achieve more academically and keep up with work more easily.
- Feel happier and gain in confidence.
- Develop well socially and find it easier to make and keep friends.
- Establish good educational habits and routines at an early age.
- Make a positive contribution to school life in general.
Procedures for notifying an absence:
- On the first day of absence contact the school office on 0121 464 7769 to explain why your child is off ill. We may ask for evidence from your doctor for this.
- On each subsequent day that your child is off continue to contact the school office to keep us informed.
- If you know that your child is going to be absent, for example because of a hospital appointment, then let the school know in advance by showing a copy of their appointment letter to the school office.
Authorised illness absence
We will authorise absence for:
Vomiting & Diarrhoea
Children with and/or vomiting should definitely kept off school until 48 hours after their symptoms have gone.
Temperature
If your child has a raised temperature, they shouldn't attend school. They can return 24 hours after they start to feel better.
Infectious Diseases
Skin rashes can be the first sign of many infectious illnesses, such as chickenpox and measles. Children with these conditions shouldn't attend school. If your child has a rash, check with your GP or practice nurse before sending them to school.
For more information
https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Yourchildatschool/Pages/Illness.aspx
Other authorised absences:
There are a number of other reasons when you may feel that you need to keep your child at home. However, only a handful of these reasons are likely to be authorised absences. Some examples that we would be able to authorise include:
- A hospital or emergency appointment (we expect all other medical appointments be made out of the school day).
- A religious observance - absence may be authorised, for one day on each occasion, for pupils to attend relevant religious observances. For example: we will authorise one day for a child whose family is celebrating Eid when this falls during term time.
If you have questions about whether or not an
absence would be authorised, please contact the Head teacher to discuss your circumstances.
Unauthorised illness absence
We will not authorise absence for illness such as:
a mild stomach ache, headache, cough or sniffles.
If you are in doubt, please send your child into school while informing their class teacher or the school office so we can monitor them throughout the day.
Your child’s class teacher will provide you with an overview of how your child’s symptoms affected him/her at the end of the school day.
If your child is too unwell to remain in school, the school office will contact you.
Holidays and trips during school term time:
We will not authorise term time holidays or visits abroad. Time out of school for a holiday or trip is not allowed. If your child has unauthorised absences for holidays and trips we will refer him/her to the Attendance Officer.
Unauthorised absence can lead to a ‘FAST-track’ referral which may mean penalty notices and court proceedings may follow.