Attendance
Sometimes children become ill quite quickly and we need to contact parents/carers in an emergency. We also have lots of After School Clubs and on occasion there is a need for them to be cancelled at short notice.
We have some instances of Parents/Carers who go abroad during term time leaving their children with relatives or friends. Please ensure that school is fully informed of who is looking after your child during the absence. It is vital that we have a named contact whom can respond at short notice in case of an emergency.
As part of our Safeguarding procedures we endeavour to phone parents/carers immediately when necessary, so please ensure the Priority One mobile number is fully charged and with you during the school day as we will contact you by phone or by Groupcall our text messaging service we subscribed to.
​Parents, Schools and Local Authorities share the legal responsibility of ensuring that children of compulsory school age receive full-time education (Education Act). In order for us to carry out these responsibilities, children need to attend school regularly and on time each day. We therefore ask your help in ensuring that your child comes to school each day and on time (school starts – 8.55am).
Over the last few years, attendance has improved, staff and governors are most grateful to parents/carers for their continued co-operation and support in this matter. Please help us to maintain our Attendance Target of 96%.
If your child is not able to attend school through illness or some other unforeseen circumstance on a school morning, it is your (parent/carer’s) responsibility to contact school before 9.15am to let school know. However if you are delayed at home or you oversleep please do not keep your child off for the whole day, please bring your child to school as soon as possible.
In line with our Safeguarding and Attendance Policies any child whose reason for absence is not known by 9.15am is a cause for concern and school will phone to find the reason. If school is not given a reason for absence then the absence will be considered unauthorised. Five or more unauthorised absences will ‘attract’ the attention of the Local Authority and you could be liable to a fine.
Parents should keep all appointments medical/dental etc outside of school time, however when this is not possible, Parents and Carers are asked to bring the appointment card to school, so we have information regarding the absence from school. Children should only be out of school for the duration of the appointment, ie they should come into school before and after the appointment. They should be signed out and signed back in at the school office.
From September 2013, Headteachers are no longer allowed to grant with discretion holidays during term time. If you need to take time off during term time for an absence which is an exceptional circumstance please download an ‘Application for Absence of Leave During Term Time’, which you can download below. This must be completed and signed by the Headteacher before taking time off.
Attendance information for Parents/Carers is explained fully in the document ‘School Attendance at The Holy Name RC Primary (A Handout For Parents), however, as with school matters, please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further clarification or information on attendance. We will do all we can to help.
Medical Conditions
From time to time children are off with chicken pox or someother infectious illness which has an exclusion period from school. Please check from the list below, the period of exclusion necessary for your child’s illness.