School Attendance
Regular and punctual attendance at school is essential to every child’s education. If a child is unable to attend school because of ill health or any other reason, we ask parents to telephone the school office or send in a letter on the first day of absence. It is also important that families give us prior warning if children need to be collected during school hours for dental or medical appointments, etc. This can also be done by phoning the school office.
The Department for Education require us to keep very detailed records of attendance in school. In
particular, we are asked to give details of any unauthorised absences i.e. those, which are not explained
by a parent or carer. We work closely with Clennell Education Solutions attendance officers to closely monitor the attendance of our children and provide support and guidance to our families if appropriate.
Holidays & Leave of Absence During Term Time
We would strongly urge our families to avoid taking holidays during term times in order to ensure that our children have the fullest access to their education. Since September 2013, holidays taken within term time are not permitted by the government and parents / carers can be fined by the local authority if they choose to do this. In exceptional circumstances, leave of absences may be granted by the Head Teacher, but this is strictly down to his discretion and judgement of the circumstances. Parents must request a meeting with the Head Teacher if they are intending on taking their children out of school and feel that their circumstances would warrant a leave of absence. A leave of absence request form must also be completed. A leave of absence taken without completing a request form or without receiving the Head Teacher’s permission will be deemed as an unauthorised absence. This then is reported to Newcastle Civic Centre by computer data transfer and follow up action may be taken.
Emergency Contacts and Accidents
It is absolutely essential that we have up to date records of addresses, telephone numbers, places of employment and means of contacting families in the case of an emergency. Please keep us informed of any change to your contact details, since we may have to contact you urgently in the case of accident or illness.
Illnesses
Parents must keep their child off school for at least 48 hours if they have been sick or, suffered from diarrhea. If in doubt please contact the school office and staff will advise you on whether your child should come back to school.
Medication in School
All prescribed medication must have the name of the child clearly labelled on the box and detailed instructions for administering the medication. An official pharmacy label is required, otherwise school staff are not permitted to administer this to children.
Parents must sign a form and get the Head Teacher’s approval prior to medication being administered.
All children who have medication for long term conditions in school e.g. epipens or jextpens, asthma inhalers or cortisone creams etc should have a medical care plan and parents must sign a consent form. Again, names and dosage information etc must be clearly visible on the box. It is the responsibility of parents of children who are on long-term medication which is held in school to ensure that it is within the expiry date and that this is replaced when necessary.
Parents and carers must inform school about any children who have any specific dietary requirements, allergies or medical conditions (eg nut allergies, diabetes or febrile convulsions etc). These pupils will need a medical care plan and kitchen staff and school staff must be made aware of these so that we can ensure that we keep these children safe under our care. If your child’s condition changes, it is the responsibility of parents / carers to keep school up to date so that we can update your child’s records and adapt our provision accordingly.