This page should be read in conjunction with our Attendance Policy, which can be found on our policies page. 

Attendance impacts directly on attainment at school and for this reason we ask parents:

• Ensure children attend school daily and are punctual and on time.
• Advise the school in advance of any unavoidable absences or holidays (please review the guidance below, including the completion of forms available from the School Office).
• Make medical appointments outside the school day, during weekends or school holidays where possible.
• Be ready to provide evidence of any medical appointments/ illness if this is requested. 
• Do not keep children home for 'treats', shopping, haircuts, theme park days or other similar situations – these will not be authorised. Please read the guidance below on term-time absence for more information. 

Our Education Welfare Officer at Bracknell Forest Council works closely with the school to monitor attendance and absence issues and help understand any barriers to school attendance and provide support in line with current statutory guidance. They will, however, investigate further where absences are unacceptable or excessive.

Lateness

Classroom doors close for registration at 8.50am. Registers are taken immediately and again at the start of the afternoon session following lunchtime. A child arriving after 8.50am but before the register closes at 9.00am is marked as late ('L'), with both the reason and the number of minutes late recorded. A child arriving after 9.00am, once the register has closed, is recorded as absent for that session using the appropriate attendance code, normally 'U' where no other code applies.

Vital information is given at the start of the school day and the child’s learning may be affected if they are not present, on time, for the full session. Punctuality is an important life skill. Persistent lateness will be followed up by the school and may be referred to the Education Welfare Service if it continues.

A pupil arriving late:

• They should enter the building through the main office entrance and report to the School Office.
• Will have their name entered late in the register with the reason for the late arrival and the number of minutes they are late recorded.
• Please note that the back gate cannot be opened after 9am for safeguarding reasons.

Absence

Parents should contact the School Office (by calling 01344 420878, press 1, or emailing secretary@stmicheast.co.uk) before 8:50am or as soon as possible on the first morning of absence/ illness, stating your child’s name, class and the reason for absence.

If the school does not hear from parents by 9.30am, we will ring all contacts we hold on file, as well as email and/or text message. If this is unsuccessful, welfare checks will be carried out, which may include an unannounced visit to the home. 

We recognise that there are different levels and patterns of absence that may cause concern. We understand that children will sometimes be too unwell to attend school, and our approach is not about penalising families for genuine illness. Our aim is to work in partnership with parents and carers to maximise attendance wherever possible, offering support and help when it is needed.

Illness and sickness

To report your child as ill, please follow the above absence guidance.

If your child is suffering from continued illness, parents/carers must telephone or email the School Office on each day of illness, not just the first day. 

Children with any vomiting and/or diarrhoea should return to school 48 hours after the last episode/symptoms have stopped.

For any illness absence, the school may request further information from you, including evidence of any medical appointments or pharmacy visits, particularly to understand prolonged/repeated illness.

Please read the attached poster from the UKHSA 'Should I keep my child off school' for more information regarding illness. 

Medical appointments

Medical appointments should be booked, where possible, outside the school day. All medical appointments must be confirmed in writing ahead of time by contacting the School Office: secretary@stmicheast.co.uk.

The school may request evidence of medical appointments if you have not provided this at the time of notification. Medical evidence will only be requested where it is reasonably necessary and will not be requested routinely. 

Holiday during term-time

At St. Michael’s Easthampstead CE (VA) Primary School, we believe term-time absences should be actively discouraged. Our purpose is to ensure that your child achieves their full potential and there is a clear link between poor attendance and underachievement. Term-time holidays will not normally be authorised by the school. 

However, we recognise that there may be occasions where a parent considers there are exceptional circumstances for such absence. Each request will be considered individually, taking account of the specific facts, circumstances and relevant background context. The Headteacher will decide whether exceptional circumstances exist and, if so, whether and for how long the absence will be authorised. Permission for leave of absence other than illness must be sought from the Headteacher and is granted only in exceptional circumstances, in accordance with the school’s policy. The school will not provide work for pupils taken out of school on an unauthorised absence.

Monitoring attendance

We monitor attendance and absence, including punctuality, weekly and formally review individual attendance half-termly. We issue notification letters to parents and carers where a child’s attendance is of concern:

• Where attendance is below 95% but above 90%, a letter will be sent informing you of your child’s level of attendance and offering support where required.
• Where attendance is 90% or below, a letter will be sent informing you of this, offering support and explaining that attendance will be closely monitored and improvement expected.
• Where attendance remains consistently low or does not improve, you will be invited to a meeting to discuss any barriers to attendance and agree on how these can be addressed, which may include an Attendance Plan.
• Where there are frequent or repeated periods of absence due to illness, we may discuss this with you and, where appropriate, request reasonable medical evidence to help us understand the absence and identify any support that may be needed.

For children of compulsory school age who are registered at school, regular attendance is a legal requirement. Absence from school can have a significant impact on a child’s progress and attainment. Frequent absence means that learning is disrupted and children may miss important parts of the curriculum, making it more difficult for them to keep up with their peers.

Penalty notices

A Fixed Penalty Notice may be considered where the national threshold of 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks is met. The 10 sessions may be any combination of unauthorised absence, including unauthorised term-time leave and late arrival after the register has closed (U code), and the 10-week period may span different terms or school years.

Meeting the national threshold does not mean that a penalty notice is automatic. The school will consider the circumstances of the individual case, including whether support is appropriate, whether support has been provided or engaged with, and whether a penalty notice or another intervention is the most appropriate action, in line with the National Framework and Bracknell Forest Council’s Local Code of Conduct. For unauthorised term-time holidays, support will not usually be appropriate, and a penalty notice may be requested where the relevant criteria are met.

Examples of when Fixed Penalty Notices can be issued include (but are not limited to):

• Where there is a minimum of 10 school sessions of unauthorised absence (5 school days) in any 10-week period (these do not need to be consecutive).
• Where term time leave is taken without obtaining authorisation from the school.
• Unwarranted delayed return from term-time leave without authorisation.
• Persistent late arrival after the register has closed (U code) on 10 or more occasions in a 10-week period.