Attendance & Leave of Absence

Leave of Absence

Leave of absence will only be authorised by the headteacher in line with the ‘The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) Regulations 2024 and the School Attendance Policy (see below). Leave of absence forms can be completed electronically and emailed to the school office. The headteacher is unable to authorise leave of absence forms after the event.

If you need to take your child out of school, please complete a leave of absence form and return to the school office. The form can be found below and can be emailed to office@ghw.odbst.org

Is my child too unwell to attend school? NHS guidance

When your child is unwell, it can be a hard decision to make on whether to send them to school. We trust your judgement as parents and carers to use your common sense on whether your child is too ill to attend school.

Occasionally, your child may wake up feeling a “little under the weather” or with aches, pains or a minor illness but they do not need to remain at home. Many children who come into school often brighten up and feel better when they are with their friends. We will keep a close eye on them and will always call you if their condition worsens or is contagious.

Don’t forget if your child feels better they can always come to school later in the morning or in the afternoon

Please be aware that absence or illness of a pupil should not affect the education of their brothers or sisters.

Every child has the right to receive full time education!
Children can only make the most of educational opportunities if they attend regularly and on time.
Lessons lost will never be found.
95% attendance or below is a cause for concern.
90% or below is considered to be persistent absenteeism
It is not a parental right to take a child out of school for a holiday.

What does the school do?

Provides 190 days of planned curriculum delivery – not a day should be missed.
Listens and offers supports, signposting to family support or early help.
Monitors attendance regularly every half term and informs parents by letter if their child's attendance is a concern
Reports a child’s attendance as part of their school report
Provides up to date attendance figures through My Child at School (MCAS) so every parent can see their child's live aattendancend absence information.
Informs parents of their child’s unacceptable absence and where appropriate liaises with parents and Buckinghamshire council to discuss the issue
Aims to achieve an attendance target of 96% the national average attendance in primary school

Reports levels of school attendance to:

School governors, Diocese Board of Education,
Buckinghamshire County Council, The Department for Education and Ofsted

The following reasons for absence will not be authorised

Looking after the house

Looking after other family members

Illness of another family member, i.e. pupil kept off school when sibling unwell

Shopping during school hours

Birthdays

Day trips

Holidays

Unwell pets

Most common acceptable reasons for absence

Illness of child (not the parent)

An emergency medical or orthodontist appointment that has not been possible in out of school hours

A religious event

Family funeral (1 day)

Anyone wishing to take their child out of school on compassionate grounds should write to the school, requesting permission and explaining the situation.

The legal bit! - Parental Responsibility

Education Act 1996, Part V1, Chapter 11, Section 444

If a child of compulsory school age who is a registered pupil at a school fails to regularly attend the school, his/her parent is guilty of an offence.

In a few cases where a child persistently misses school and parents are aware of the situation but have been unable to provide a reasonable explanation to the school for the absence, the parents may be prosecuted in the Magistrates Court.

What if?

Your child misses 10 days of school (20 sessions)

They already have a 95% attendance

Your child misses 20 days of school (40 sessions)

That’s only 89% attendance – the equivalent of half a day off per week for a whole year.

Your child misses 38 days of school (76 sessions)

That’s 80% attendance – the equivalent of a day off a week for the whole year

What if your child is late?

They might feel self-conscious.

They miss the beginning of the lesson which contains the introduction to the work from the teacher.

They will be ‘catching up’ for the rest of the lesson.

They miss the social part of the beginning of the day.

They may be reluctant or refuse to enter the classroom.

They will cause disruption for all other class members.

What can YOU do to help and support our School?

Report the absence of your child as early as possible on the first day of absence.

Ensure that your child is in school for registration – so they don’t miss out on the first part of the day.

Do not take holidays during term time.

Understand that the beginnings and ends of terms are as important as any other time in school.

Do not allow your child time away from school unless it is absolutely necessary.

Encourage a pattern of punctuality and good attendance with your child – let them see that it matters.

When one of your children is off school make sure that you get the others into school – ask a friend to bring them to school and check to ensure arrival.

Take notice of how much time your child has been away from school.

Let us know if you are about to leave the area, change your address or any of your contact numbers. Ensure that we always have up-to-date contact information.

Arrange dentist and routine appointment out of school hours