If a child is absent parents must:

• Contact the school by 10:00am on the first day of absence; the office telephone number is 0151 928 3676 where a member of staff will take the message.
• Send a note in on the first day that their child returns with an explanation of the absence – you must do this even if you have already telephoned us.
• Parent/carers may also call into the school and report to the office.
• For absences that extend to a week (5 school days) some form of medical evidence is required; this can be in the form of a Doctor’s note/copy prescription/sight of prescribed medication.

• Telephone or text parents/carers on the first day of absence if a message (that explains the absence) has not been received;
• Invite parents in to discuss the situation with the Attendance Officer and/or Headteacher if absences persist;
• Refer the matter to the Education Welfare Officer if attendance reaches trigger points.

Telephone Numbers:

• There are times when the school will need to contact parents on a range of issues, including absence, so it is essential that the school has up to date contact numbers at all times. If we don’t, then something important may be missed or your child’s health and safety may be compromised.

LATENESS

Poor punctuality is not acceptable. If a child misses the start of the day they can miss work, and miss valuable time with their class teacher getting vital information and news for the day. Late arriving pupils are sometimes unsettled, will disrupt lessons and can be embarrassed about their lateness. Persistent poor punctuality will result in sanctions being applied e.g. missing out on the attendance prize.

How we manage lateness:

• at 8:45 am children should enter the side gate to go through to the back yard where staff will meet them.

• The side gate is closed at 8:55 am.

• any pupils arriving after 8:55 am should enter through the main entrance to report to the main office where minutes late are recorded.

• at 9:30 am the registers are closed.

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In accordance with the Regulations, if pupils arrive after 9:30 am they will receive a mark that shows them to be on site, but this will not count as a present mark and it will mean they have an unauthorised absence. This may mean that parents could face the possibility of a Penalty Notice if the problem persists.

If a child has a persistent late record, parents/carers may be asked to meet with the Head teacher or Education Welfare Officer to resolve the problem. Parents/carers can approach the school at any time if they experience problems getting their child to the school on time.