Absence Procedures

At Brookwood Primary School we want to support you and work in partnership with you in getting your children into school and in on time each day. We do understand that there are lots of unavoidable factors that can make it hard to get your child to school on time.

It is really important that children attend school regularly; even just a few days missed will have an impact on your child's learning.

Illness / Unplanned Absence

If your child is not able to attend school, it is really important that you telephone the school's Absence Line by 09:00 on the morning of the first day of absence and on each subsequent day they are off. You can leave a message on the Absence answerphone 24 hours a day (01483 473315, option 1), even if the school is closed. Please give the following details:

• child's name & class
• why they are absent from school (including details of any illness)
• expected date of return

If your child has had sickness or diarrhoea please keep them off school for 48 hours after the last bout of illness.

First day calling procedures will be activated for all pupils who are not in school after close of register and where no reason for absence is known.  If there is still no contact made from the pupil's parents, a further telephone call home will be made. If no response is gained, a home visit will be carried out.

Should your child have excessive illness, we will also require documentation from your GP/Specialist in order to authorise their absence.

Planned Absence

• Attending a medical or dental appointment will be counted as authorised as long as the pupil's parents / carer notifies the school in advance of the appointment and provides evidence in the way of a letter or appointment card.

Punctuality

• All pupils are expected to arrive on time for every day of the school year.
• The register is taken at 08:50.  Pupils arriving after this time must enter the school via the main doors. Their parent / carer will need to register them on the InVentry computer system.  The pupil will be marked as late before registration has closed (code 'L'). 
• Registers will close at 09:10.  Pupils arriving after the register has closed will be marked as late after registration (code ‘U’) and this will count as an unauthorised absence.
• Frequent lateness after the register has closed ('U') will be discussed with parents and could provide grounds for prosecution or a Penalty Notice.

Leave of Absence

• The Education (Pupil Registration)(England)(Amendment) Regulations 2013 state that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.  
• The Headteacher is also required to determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if leave is granted.
• Where a parent / carer wishes to request a leave of absence during the school term a formal request to the Headteacher must be made by completing a leave of absence application form (these are available from the school office).  If a leave of absence is taken without prior authorisation by the school it will be recorded as Unauthorised ('U').
• Where the absence is unauthorised and leave is still taken the Headteacher may request that the Local Authority issue a Penalty Notice.  
• Penalty Notice Fines will be considered when there have been 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in any 10 week period.