Regular attendance and punctuality are essential in helping children feel settled, build positive relationships and make good progress in their learning. We understand that family circumstances can sometimes make attendance challenging. If you are experiencing any difficulties, please speak to us and we will do our best to help.

Your child's class teacher is always the first point of contact. You can also speak to Miss John, our Home School Liaison Worker, who is available to offer support and guidance to both children and families.

While we recognise that some absences are unavoidable, good attendance is important, and we will work closely with families to support and improve attendance where needed.

The school gates open at 8:20am. Children can be brought onto the playground and should be ready to line up at 8:30am, when class staff will collect them from their designated class lines.

Late procedures

If you know you are running late for drop-off or collection, please contact the school office as soon as possible. This is particularly important at the end of the day, as it allows us to reassure your child that you are on your way. They will always be safe with us, but knowing what is happening can help prevent unnecessary worry.

For safeguarding reasons, children may only be collected by adults listed on their emergency contact record, unless alternative arrangements have been agreed directly with the school. We are also unable to allow any child to be collected by a person under the age of 16.

Children who arrive after the start of the school day will be recorded in the late register, and a reason for the lateness will be requested. Occasional lateness is understandable and can happen to anyone. However, persistent lateness can significantly affect a child's learning and wellbeing. Where this becomes a concern, we will work with families to identify ways to improve punctuality.

Absence procedures

We always encourage good attendance, but we understand that there will be times when children are too unwell to attend school.

If your child has a high temperature or is feeling too poorly to take part in their usual daily activities, they should remain at home until they are well enough to return. As a general guide, if your child is well enough to play and participate in normal activities at home, they are usually well enough to attend school. If they become unwell during the day, we will contact you promptly.

Children who have experienced sickness or diarrhoea should remain at home for 48 hours after their last episode of illness.

Please telephone or email the school on your child's first day of absence to let us know the reason. If we do not receive notification, we will follow our attendance and safeguarding procedures to ensure that your child is safe and accounted for.

We appreciate the support of our families in helping every child to attend school regularly, arrive on time and make the most of the opportunities available to them.

Holidays during term time

We understand that family time is important; however, holidays taken during term time can have a significant impact on a child's education, learning progress and attendance.

By law, Headteachers may only authorise absence during term time in exceptional circumstances. Family holidays, including those taken because they are more convenient or less expensive during term time, cannot be authorised.

When considering a request, a helpful question to ask is: Could this event take place at another time? If the answer is yes, it is unlikely to be considered an exceptional circumstance. Exceptional circumstances are rare, although there are occasions that cannot be rearranged, such as a family funeral or, in some cases, a close family wedding.

If you need to request an absence during term time, please complete an absence request form and return it to the school before the planned absence. Any absence taken without prior notification and approval will be recorded as unauthorised. The school will respond to all requests in writing.

Government guidance states that circumstances such as a parent's work commitments preventing holidays during school breaks, or the lower cost of holidays during term time, are not considered exceptional reasons for absence.

For further information, please refer to our Attendance Policy and the information below regarding Penalty Notices.

Medication in school

We are able to administer medication in school when it is needed, provided that the appropriate paperwork has been completed and signed by a parent or carer before the medication is brought into school.

A medication form must be completed for all medicines. Prescription medication, such as antibiotics, must be supplied in the original packaging with the pharmacy label clearly showing the child's name and dosage instructions. Non-prescription medicines, such as Calpol, should also be provided in their original packaging.

To ensure we can safely support your child's medical needs, items such as lip balm, lip salve, barrier creams and similar products must also be recorded on a medication form before they can be used in school.

If you are unsure whether a medication or healthcare product requires a form, please contact the school office for advice before sending it into school. Our staff will be happy to help.