Being in school and therefore good attendance and punctuality are important for your child's achievement, wellbeing and wider development. Attendance also establishes positive habits that are necessary for future success. Regular attendance, helps children to:
We ask all parents to work in partnership with us to support good attendance. Evidence clearly shows that children with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A-Level results.
The impact of a child missing school is significant, for example a child in Year 6 who is absent for 3 days over half a term could miss 12 lessons in total as well as the social interactions with friends. If this is persistent absence over a school year, that would be 18 days absence and 72 lessons and much time with friends.
A leave of absence form should be completed for ALL absences stating clearly the reason for the absence. Thank you for your support with this.
Attendance In the Government’s document ‘Working together to Improve Attendance’ states: ‘All schools have a continuing responsibility to proactively manage and improve attendance across their school community. Attendance is the essential foundation to positive outcomes for all pupils.' This is why we continue to set expectations about attendance levels for our children. At Farley Hill we work with all families, and especially those with children who have SEN or medical needs, to support them with any attendance concerns regarding their children. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if support would be helpful.
What to do if your Child is Unwell
Although attendance is important to us all, we also appreciate that sometimes children are not well enough to come to school. As a school, we are guided by health experts as to what is an appropriate time for a child to be off school with or following an illness.
When your child is unwell, it can be hard deciding whether to keep them off school. These simple guidelines should help. Use common sense when deciding whether or not your child is too ill to attend school. Ask yourself the following questions.
Common Conditions
If your child is ill, it's likely to be due to one of a few minor health conditions. Whether you send your child to school will depend on how severe you think the illness is. Use this guidance to help you make that judgement.
Remember: if you're concerned about your child’s health, consult a health professional.
NOTIFYING THE SCHOOL OFFICE
Please ensure you provide your child's name, class and reason for absence including the nature of their illness
If your child is not able to attend school due to illness, parents are asked to either