Attendance Hints and Tips

While some school absence is unavoidable, other absences should be avoided. The following examples are intended to help you to maximise your child’s attendance and learning. The content is not intended to patronise and may or may not apply to your child. Please read and share this information with your child as you see fit.

• If a child has a minor ailment, they should still come to school. Where possible, school will make arrangements to support students that may not be feeling their best. Whilst in the first instance it is for parents to decide whether a child is well enough to attend school, the school asks that parents default position be that they send their child to school, unless it is clear that they are suffering what can only be described as a ‘significant illness.’ Coughs and colds cannot normally be considered ‘significant illness.’
• Dentists and GP surgeries etc. are used to being asked for appointments outside of school hours. The school asks that parents / carers request appointments that do not clash with school time. If an appointment can only be made during school time, students should attend school whilst not at the appointment i.e. before / after as appropriate.
• The weather seems to influence some students in deciding if they wish to attend school or stay at home. On wet days, especially if it is raining as students leave home to come to school, it appears some students try to avoid a wet journey in, by making some plausible excuse to not face the weather. If you suspect that this may apply to your child, please impress upon them that unless the weather is so bad that the school is shut, they should be making every effort to attend school. Please ensure your child is equipped for travelling to and from school even if the weather is not ideal.
• The day after wet weather can also cause school to suffer reduced attendance. Some students do not take care to stay dry and do not attempt to dry their clothes / shoes when they get home. As a result their uniform is wet the next morning and they are delayed coming in or miss a whole day. Please advise your child on the importance of trying to stay dry and organising the drying out of wet clothes as soon as they get in from school. Advise your child that getting wet is not a reason to be off school.
• If a child attends a school trip or other activity the day before, the child must attend school at the normal time the next day. It is not acceptable to miss or be late for school due to being tired.
• Parents / carers should be mindful of the possibility that their child may wish to avoid school for a reason other than being ill. It can be easier for a child to tell a parent / carer that they are too ill to go to school, rather than explain that they have fallen out with a friend, haven’t done their homework etc. If parents / carers feel their child is experiencing something that is reducing their willingness to attend school, please contact school to share your concern. As long as school are aware of the problem, the problem can often be solved.