Attendance
Good attendance is really important if children are to reach their full potential. Arriving at school on time is equally important and developing good habits in these things will develop habits that will benefit children throughout their school years and beyond.
School starts at 8.55 a.m. and all children are expected to be arriving from 8.50am. Cloakroom doors will be closed at 9.00am so children arriving after this time will be required to sign in at reception. Children who arrive after 9.10am. will be marked as late and children who arrive after 9.25am will be marked absent.
The Department for Education requires schools to differentiate between authorised and unauthorised absences. To help make this recording accurate, please inform us of the reason for children’s absences as soon as possible, preferably by 9am on the first day of absence. If we do not hear from you by 9.30am then a member of staff will contact you at the earliest convenience. This is in no way to ‘check up’ but simply that we take our responsibility for your children very seriously and we need to know where they are if they do not turn up at school. Please accept the call in the spirit of cooperation and keep absence to a minimum.
We recognise that consistency in attendance runs alongside consistency in progress and therefore good attendance is essential in our drive to help each child to achieve his or her full potential.
Within our cluster of local schools, we have agreed an attendance policy together so that families in our locality receive consistent messages about this important aspect of school life. Please take the time to read our policy here.
Exceptional Leave of absence
Our attendance policy is clear about what constitutes authorised and unauthorised absence and that parents do not have the right to remove their children from school during term time. Absence will only be considered if parents/carers make a formal 'Leave of Absence Request' on the form below. This is also available as a paper copy at the school office.
This form should detail the exceptional circumstances that have arisen, providing any relevant information or documentation to support the request. The headteacher will decide whether or not the absence will be authorised. Application should be received by the school no less than 7 days prior to the intended start date of the leave.
Parents / carers should ensure that they read the form carefully and fully understand the potential consequences of removing their child from school for leave that has not been authorised. This can include a fine or the removal of a school place.
To access the request form, click on the link below and return the form to school as a paper copy or e mail to admin@roundhaystjohns.com
