Absence and Illness
Children develop illness. As a school we want to support you with managing your child’s illness and getting the best advice.
If your child is ill please contact the school office by phone (01352 712234) to let us know that they will be absent from school. It is important that this is done on the first day of your child’s absence before 9am. It would be helpful if you could estimate how long your child will be absent for or alternatively ring on the consecutive days of absence to update the school on your child’s progress.
In cases of infectious diseases, it is essential that we are informed.
If your child has diarrhoea and sickness, he/she should not return to school for 48 hours after the last bout of illness.
If a child becomes ill during the day, his/her parents or carers will be contacted. Therefore, please let us know immediately if you (or named emergency contacts) change your address or telephone number.
We may also be able to give you advice on managing your child’s illness and whether they should remain off school.
Information from the Welsh Government’s Public Health guide for Infection is included in this section. You can follow the link found at the bottom of the page if you wish to read further.
There is no need for children to stay off school if they have cold sores, conjunctivitis or slap cheek. These are not highly contagious and would only be transmitted through inappropriate contact. However, each case will be dealt with on an individual basis and parents may be advised to keep their child at home if there is a further risk of infection to others.
We do stress to parents that these and other illnesses may present risks if you are pregnant, have a low immune system or are receiving medical treatment. If this is the case for you or your child please seek further guidance from the Health Protection Agency, from our School Nurse or from your GP.
Attendance and Punctuality
Every minute matters in school to ensure our children reach their potential. We are fully committed to ensuring that no child is disadvantaged by poor attendance or punctuality. Our school day starts at 08:45 and finishes at 15:00 (Foundation) and 15:15 for KS2.
Our school office monitor attendance daily. Phone calls are made to parent/carers if their child is absent through our first day response system. Every minute counts, and we don’t wait for a child’s attendance to drop below a certain level before we intervene. Our procedures follow Flintshire LA’s attendance policy and if attendance and punctuality is not meeting Welsh government and Local Authority expectations, parents will be offered support in improving this before a formal meeting is planned. If attendance and punctuality fail to improve the Educational Welfare team will be contacted. Failure to maintain attendance can result in the Local Authority issuing an EPN (Education Penalty Notice).
Flintshire County Council’s aim is that all pupils achieve 100% attendance. However, there may be instances where pupils are unable to attend for genuine reasons. The Education Welfare Service categorises attendance concerns in the following way.
- GREEN 97% – 100%
- AMBER 93%-96%
- RED below 92%
Any pupils whose attendance is below 90% is classed as being persistently absent from school.
Absence Letters From School
There are 4 letters which parents will receive if attendance is not in line with EWS and Welsh Government guidance.
In line with Flintshire County Council’s Attendance Policy, the school will send escalating letters to encourage and support attendance in school.
✓ Letter 1 will inform parents that attendance is being monitored and that a child is below 95% attendance.
✓ Letter 2 will require medical evidence before any further absences can be authorised.
✓ Letter 3 will invite parents in for a meeting to discuss strategies to support your child’s attendance.
✓ Letter 4 will inform of a fixed penalty notice (FPN) being issued.
Types of Absences
It is important for parents to understand the definition of the different types of absences. They are classed as unauthorised absence and authorised absence. The school’s Headteacher is the only person that should determine whether an absence is authorised or remains unauthorised.
Absences maybe authorised for the following reasons:
- Illness.
- Religious observance.
- Medical/Dental appointments during school hours.
- Fixed term and permanent exclusions.
- Holiday agreed by the Headteacher.
- Agreed flexi schooling.
- Legitimate Dual Registration.
Absences should remain unauthorised for the following reasons (Not Comprehensive):
- Truancy.
- Late after the close of registration.
- Staying at home for no legitimate reason – condoned absence.
- Shopping for school uniform.
- Birthdays.
- Holiday not agreed by the Headteacher.
Holidays in Term Time
Parents do not have an automatic right to withdraw pupils from school during the school term for a holiday. Under the Education (Pupil Registration Wales) Regulations 2010, Head Teachers have discretion to authorise a holiday of up to 10 days during term time. Any holiday in excess of 10 days should only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.
All requests for holidays must be completed on the schools holiday request form and completed by the parents/guardians.
The Headteacher can only authorise absence in exceptional circumstances which are rare, significant, unavoidable and short. The Headteacher will make the decision and should take account of the following contributory factors:
- Time of year.
- Length of time.
- Overall percentage of attendance.
- Children whose attendance is below 92% will not have a holiday during term time authorised. (Or below 92% in the previous school year, if the request is for a holiday during the autumn term.)
Parents and Carers MUST use the Application for Leave Form (Please click on the link).