It is important that children come to school on time every day. There is a link between good school attendance and high level attainment. Regardless of the reason, if your child is absent from school it will impact on their learning. Parents and carers are legally responsible for ensuring their child attends school every day and on time.

Reporting Absence

Authorised absence

If your child is ill or unable to attend school for some reason, you should contact the school by phone and leave a message on the absence line to notify them. Depending on the reasons for absence, the Head Teacher will decide whether the absence can be authorised or not.

Unauthorised absence

Absence from school is likely to be recorded as unauthorised absence when:

• there is no parental explanation
• the school is not satisfied with the explanation for an absence.

In either of these situations you could face prosecution.

Monitoring Attendance

We monitor the children's attendance every day and will contact parents where there are concerns.

Too ill to attend school?

Children can attend school with minor ailments (e.g. toothache, stomach ache, headache, sore throat, cold), over the counter medicines can be given at home before school. School will contact you if they become too ill to remain in school. Children should be off school for 48 hours if they have sickness or diarrhoea.

Self-care for minor illness

The following illnesses can be managed safely with self-care and do not require to see a GP routinely. The links below offer clinically approved information on how to recognise them.

Conjunctivitis: www.nhs.uk/conditions/conjunctivitis

Hand, foot and mouth disease: www.nhs.uk/conditions/hand-foot-mouth-disease

Chickenpox: www.nhs.uk/conditions/chickenpox

Common cold: www.nhs.uk/conditions/common-cold

Over the counter medicine from the local pharmacy can help manage symptoms, including calpol, nurofen, piriton and eye drops. Pharmacists can provide advice on the use of these medicines and instructions are provided in the packaging. 

Medical Appointments

Where possible all appointments should be booked outside school hours. Where this is not possible, the amount of school time missed should be kept to a minimum. School may not authorise the time off school if medical evidence is not provided.

Leave of Absence during Term Time (holidays)

Headteachers are no longer permitted to agree a Leave of Absence during term time.  This includes where parents decide to take their children out of school for a family holiday during term time. If a parent intends to take their child out of school for a leave of absence during term time, they must have requested this in advance. Failure to complete a leave of absence form could result in a fine or prosecution.

All leave of absence during term time requests will be unauthorised except for exceptional circumstances (at the discretion of the Headteacher).

Over recent years, we have recognised the impact that Covid had on the timing of family holidays and that many families had holidays postponed during the lockdown periods. However, in Nottinghamshire parents can be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice (a fine) if their child has in excess of 3 days unauthorised absence over a 6 week period - as stated in our school's Attendance Policy.   Parents should be mindful of this when requesting term time leave and taking unauthorised absence from school. The current Fixed Penalty Notice Fee is £120 per parent, per child and must be paid within the 28 day deadline of issue, but can be reduced to £60 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days of issue. Ultimately, non payment can result in court appearance.

Further guidance and information can be found  on the Nottinghamshire County Council website.