Attendance
The Importance of Good Attendance and Punctuality
The importance of good attendance and punctuality cannot be overemphasised. Family life is very important, but education is vital to ensure children have the chance to achieve their potential in life, for their future. Children only get one education; every day missed by choice, is missed knowing there is a potential impact on their education and future.
Parents/carers should also ensure that their children arrive on time each day. Children arriving late to school can miss important instructions and they disrupt the work of the teacher and other pupils in the class. Children who are persistently late will be reported to Mrs Miller (Care, Guidance and Support Leader).
Celebrating Good Attendance
King Edward Primary School celebrates and rewards good attendance over 97%! For children who achieve 97% attendance, they will be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a £10 Amazon voucher. This will start afresh every half term. At the end of the year, there will be an even bigger prize draw for those who reach 97% across the whole school year. All children who reach these targets will also receive a certificate and Winnie award.
Sickness Absences
If your child is absent through illness or for any other reason, parents/carers will have to report the absence before 9.00am by leaving a message on the absence phone line (0191 814 1455). Any absences not accounted for in this way must be identified as an unauthorised absence on your child’s record.
If your child is absent due to sickness and diarrhoea, please keep them off school for 48 hours from the time of their last episode. This is to prevent the spread of illness among other children and is in line with NHS guidelines. If you are unsure if it is suitable for your child to be in school during or after an infectious illness (e.g. chicken pox, slapped cheek), please call the school office (0191 814 1455) who will be able to offer advice.
Holidays During the School Term
There has been a significant increase in holidays absences during term time by our families; a trend seen in a number of schools. After significant discussion in school with senior leaders and governors, as well as robust consultation with the Local Authority, we are changing our policy with regard to holidays taken during term time. All holidays taken from 1st January 2020 will be unauthorised unless there are exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances will be assessed on a case by case basis.
If you do need to request a leave of absence for your child, please complete our new online form, available here.
We will always hope that parents/carers will be an open and honest role model to our children and report absences to us appropriately. However, if we believe a child has been on holiday or has been absent without due cause, then we will not authorise the absence. The duty and responsibility will then fall to parents/carers to provide medical or other evidence, to show that the child has not been away on holiday or has been genuinely unwell.
Local Authority Penalty Notice
The Local Authority will issue a Penalty Notice for any absence for term time holidays of five days or more. This is a fine of £60 if paid within 21 days of receipt, rising to £120 if the notice is paid after 21 days but within 28 days. If the Penalty is not paid in full by the end of the 28 day period the Local Authority may prosecute for the offence to which the notice applies. The Penalty will be issued to the parent who has chosen to take their child out of school.
