Attendance & Reporting Absence

Attendance

The law requires all parents to ensure their child’s regular attendance at school and we expect all children to attend daily as far as possible. If your child is absent, please contact the school each day by email enquiries@paddockwoodprimaryacademy.org.uk via text 07860 054510 or via MCAS messages by 9.30am on the day. Please ensure you include your child’s name, class and reason for absence. In the case of notification by telephone or text, a supporting letter signed by the parent/guardian should be sent to the office.

In cases where absences remain unexplained, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and may be referred to the Attendance Service. The attendance of all children will be regularly monitored by the Pastoral team and parents contacted if the level of attendance becomes a concern. If your child’s attendance is below 90% they are classed as persistently absent, whilst we do understand that this can be due to medical appointments or illness we still may need to take some/all of the following actions:

  • inform you of your child’s level of attendance and raise this as a concern – via a standard letter
  • offer you a meeting to discuss any particularly circumstances to explain absence so that we can offer support e.g. particular medical needs
  • continue to write to you if attendance continues to be a concern and what our next steps will be e.g. medical evidence may be required
  • if absence continues to drop we may invite you in to meet with the Education Welfare Officer / Governors
  • our final step, which we would hope to avoid, would be an AS1 (a referral to School Attendance Service) where this may lead to a penalty notice and is then taken up by Kent County Council

If you need help regarding attendance, please do speak to a member of staff.

Medical and Dental Appointments

Wherever possible please try to make appointments out of school hours. If your child needs to miss part of the day to attend an appointment, please write to the class teacher giving full details. Your child will need to be collected from the school office where they will be signed out and, if returning the same day, signed back into school.

Permanent/Temporary Disability

Any permanent or temporary disability which may affect performance, participation in PE/dance or any other school activity should be notified to the school in writing without delay. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure information that is essential to their child’s well-being is not withheld.

Lateness

Children arriving late, even if only by a few minutes, should report to the school office where they will be signed in and escorted to their classroom.

Collection of Children from School

If you usually collect your child from school but are unable to do so on a particular day please contact the school office (before midday if possible) with the name of the person who will be collecting your child or provide a note for the class teacher. Please also contact the office if you are going to be late to collect your child.

Leave of Absence

Absence in term time will not be authorised except in very exceptional circumstances. Permission must be obtained in writing from the Headteacher. Unauthorised absence will be reported to the Educational Welfare Officer and a fine may be incurred. Absence results in missed work and disrupted teaching.

Sickness

If your child becomes unwell during the day or if we have any concerns about an injury we will contact a parent. It is important to keep the school office up to date with any changes in contact details.

 

If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance or need support in getting your child to school everyday and on time, please contact Charlotte Gunning, our parent support advisor on 01892 833654 or 07542 861293.