If a child has a planned absence due to a non-routine appointment such as a medical appointment, parents/carers are asked to inform the school beforehand. Parents/carers will be asked to send in proof of the appointment.
Parents/carers are asked to make routine medical appointments outside of the school day. School expects all pupils attending medical appointments during the school day to attend school before/after the appointment where at all possible.
If absence from school is needed for religious festivals or family events, parents/carers are asked to please contact school in advance and request permission for the leave from the Head Teacher. Parents/carers can write to the Head Teacher directly. Alternatively, parents/carers can request from the school office a ‘leave during term time request form’ to complete and return.
The decision to approve term time holidays has been removed from the Head Teacher’s powers of discretion and term time holidays will be marked as unauthorised absence. The Head Teacher will carefully consider all parental requests for leave during term time but can only authorise where there are exceptional circumstances.
School attendance and levels of absence are regularly monitored by the school and where attendance is a concern, school will work closely with parents and children to improve the situation. Parents/carers need to be aware that school may need to work with other agencies if attendance of their child at school is of concern.
It is the school’s legal duty to report to the Local Authority where children are missing from school.
Hospital Appointments
Pupils sometimes have to attend clinics or hospitals for a variety of reasons. If your child has a hospital appointment, we would ask you please to let us know as far in advance as possible and keep the time taken off school to an absolute minimum. Pupils are expected to attend school in the morning if they have an afternoon appointment and similarly to attend school in the afternoon following a morning appointment. We may ask for proof of the appointment in advance.