Absence & Illness

Absence Request Form Medicine Administration Form Medicine Administration Parental Agreement Form

If your child is ill

If your child is off school for any reason, it is important that you telephone the school office on: 01626 772901 before 9.30am on the first day of absence and continue to keep the office informed during the period of absence.

We currently authorise five days illness per academic year (10 sessions) before requesting medical evidence for any future absences. This will remain the same for the time being but we will now also request medical evidence for illness absence if your child has more than three separate bouts of illness. Evidence may be a bottle of prescribed medicine, a doctor’s appointment card, a photocopy of a log of any telephone consultations or a specific letter from a doctor. Failure to supply evidence, if it has been requested, will result in an unauthorised attendance mark.

Sickness & Diarrhoea

Children suffering from sickness or diarrhoea should not return to school until 12 hours after they have eaten and shown no further sign of illness.

We appreciate parents/carers support with this matter.

Medical Appointments including Dentist

Medical appointments should not be made in school time unless it is unavoidable. If they are unavoidable and are local we will expect children in school for registration if the appointment is after 10am. Parents will need to come back to school to collect their child.

If it is an appointment that is not local (i.e. Torbay Hospital) children will be expected to attend registration if their appointment is after 10.30am.

Evidence of appointments will be requested by office staff. Failure to supply evidence will result in an unauthorised attendance mark. A full day off for a medical appointment is unacceptable unless the treatment your child has received has made it difficult for your child to return to school.

Holiday

Absence is not authorised for family holidays unless the circumstances are exceptional.

Funerals

For local funerals we will authorise one day of absence. For funerals that are not local we will allow time for travelling, depending on where the funeral is being held.

Lateness

Children should be in school and on their respective playgrounds by 8.50am every morning. If children arrive after registers close at 9.10am they will be marked as late (L). If they arrive after 9.10am the will receive an unauthorised late mark (U). This is equivalent to a half day of absence.

Illness of other family members

If a parent is unwell and unable to get their child to school it will be marked as unauthorised. If you have no-one able to help local taxi companies are used to bringing children to school safely. If you telephone the school office informing them of the situation they will ensure a member of staff at the school gate sees your child in to school safely. If they arrive late, due to the unforeseen circumstances, ask the driver to bring your child to the door. Office staff will then register them and make sure they get to class.

Clarification on Penalty Notices

Penalty notices are issued if your child has ten sessions (five days) of unauthorised absence. Unauthorised absences can be for holiday, medical appointments and illness without requested proof, lateness and any other reason deemed unacceptable by the headteacher or Educational Welfare Officer. The cost of a penalty notice is £60 per parent, per child, if paid within 21 days or £120 per parent, per child, if paid after 21 days and before 28 days. If a second penalty notice is issued within a two year period a fine is not issued, but you will be summonsed to appear in court under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996. If you are summoned under Section 444(1) of the Act this carries a maximum fine of up to £1000. If you are summoned under Section 444(1)(A) of the Act, this currently carries a maximum penalty of £2500 and/or 3 months imprisonment.