Attendance
“Every school day counts!”
School gates open at 8:30am every morning and children are free to come into the playground at any point from then until 8:50am when the gates are locked. Children arriving after this time should report to the school office. Any child arriving after 8:50am will be marked as late.
For our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend school regularly and punctually. In order for any attendance and punctuality policy to be effective it must be consistently applied throughout the whole school, by its staff, pupils’ and parents
Although being absent cannot always be helped as we all do become ill from time to time, please take a look at the table below to show you exactly how much time your child could be missing.
| 100% Attendance | 190 Days | 0 |
| 95% Attendance | 180 Days | 2 Weeks |
| 90% Attendance | 171 Days | 4 Weeks |
| 85% Attendance | 161 Days | 6 Weeks |
| 80% Attendance | 152 Days | More than half a term |
| 75% Attendance | 143 Days | 9+ Weeks |
Returning to School After Sickness/Injury
If your child is returning to school after a serious injury or illness, parents should report to the school office in order for a risk assessment to be completed, especially if your child needs things put in place upon their return i.e. no PE lessons whilst on crutches, etc.
Absence
It is the responsibility of the parent / carer to see that their child gets to school safely. Any absence should be explained by a telephone call, e-mail or Arbor message to school before 9.30am on the first day of absence. Absences are followed up on a daily basis by the school office. If the school has not heard from you by 9.30am then the school office will call to ask for the reason for your child's absence. If we cannot get through to you we will then try the other emergency contacts you have provided and will also try to contact you via email. If we have not heard from you by 12pm then we will conduct a home visit to check the welfare of you and your child. If we still are unable to make contact with you then we may need to refer to outside agencies such as the police or social services to establish your welfare. This process is detailed in our policy and is designed to ensure that we are complying with our safeguarding responsibilities.
Schools are now required, by law, to publish attendance figures at the end of each term and unexplained and / or unauthorised absence cannot go unchecked.
Holidays during Term Time
The Head Teacher and the Governing Body are not able to support holidays taken during term time. All such absences are recorded as unauthorised and may be subject to a penalty fine or escalation through the systems at Bexley Council. Please note that your child's current or historic attendance record does not bear any weight with penalty notices being issued.
Medical or Other Appointments
Parents/carers should send written confirmation to the school if their child is to be collected early for an appointment. Parents collecting children on such occasions must report to the school office. However, parents / carers are strongly encouraged not to make dental, opticians, etc. appointments during the school day as this is also recorded as an absence.
