Is My Child Too Ill For School?

It is important that if your child is well enough to be in school that they attend each day. However, determining whether or not to send your child to school when they are unwell can be a challenging decision. 

The NHS has recently provided updated guidance about common illnesses and school attendance.

If you do decide to keep your child at home due to illness, it is important to contact school on the first day of their absence and inform them of the reason. Equally, if your child is well enough to go to school please contact the school who will be able to support you. 

NHS advice on common illness and school attendance

 Please take a look at the website for further information: 

Is my child too ill for school? - NHS 

 

 

 

Together, we aim to empower children to attend school regularly and overcome any potential barriers they may face in their educational journey.

When children are not at school, they are missing crucial lessons.

Final Attendance for the year	Equal to days absent	Equal to weeks absent	Lessons missed
95%	9 days	2 weeks	50
90%	19 days	4 weeks	100
85%	29 days	6 weeks	150

 

Our new approach is rooted in an inclusive attendance model designed to ensure that everyone - our staff, families, and children - fully understands their roles and responsibilities in supporting school attendance.

To achieve this, we are introducing a Multi-Tiered System of support, a tiered approach that caters to the unique needs of all children. It begins with our universal offer, progresses to Tier 2, which provides additional support for some children through early help services within the school, and finally, Tier 3, where we ensure that certain children and families have access to specialised resources if required.

We have a weekly attendance class award.

Individual children are also rewarded for improvement in attendance 

Term time holidays:

it may be tempting to book a family holiday in term time to save on costs during the cost of living crisis. However, family holidays in term time are not allowed in law and are very unlikely to be authorised.

Taking children on leave without applying for authorisation may mean the school has to report your child as ‘missing’ to the local authority and holidays cannot be authorised retrospectively in law. Adding even more absence to the time children have already missed only means that the children miss even more lessons that will not be repeated.

Family emergencies also need careful consideration. It is not always appropriate or in the best interests of the child to miss school for emergencies which are being dealt with by adult family members. Notifying the school of leave due to a family emergency does not mean it will be authorised.

All children are provided with a breakfast bagel/toast on arrival to the classroom at 8.45am.

We have a morning club provision that starts at 8.15am - 8.45am. This is for Y1-Y6. Limited spaces available, please see main office for an application form. 

 

After school clubs are available between 3.15pm - 4pm. Limited spaces available, please see main office for an application form.

All parents/guardians must call the school office if your child is too unwell to attend school and inform us of the reasons for their absence.
Where necessary, we will follow the following steps to support you to improve your child’s attendance:

 

Step 1 - We will telephone you, if you do not inform us of your child’s absence

Step 2 - A home visit by the Attendance Team and Senior Leaders may be completed if we have any well-being or safety concerns

Step 3 - You will receive a telephone call from the Attendance Team if your child is at risk of being persistently absent. (Attendance drops below 90%).

Step 4 - A conversation will be had with your child’s class teacher to raise concern around absence

Step 5 – If attendance does not improve, a meeting with Attendance Lead to co-create an attendance contract to support parents to improve attendance

Step 5 – A Universal offer of Early Help to support families to improve attendance will be proposed

Step 6 - Legal proceedings to commence with risk of being fined for low attendance