Randwick Church of England Primary
SchoolAttendance and Illness
We would like to thank our parents for their commitment to their child’s attendance.
The vast majority of parents ensure that their child attends regularly and on time and we have very few parents who do not support their child in this.
We love to see the happy faces of the children as they get to school on time to play with their friends before sitting down together, ready to learn. Children who do not get to school on time or miss some days of school altogether find it more difficult to make friends and to catch up on their learning. Please remember that gates open at 8:35am and children come straight into class to start their learning for the day. Children who do not get to school on time, miss out on key learning time.
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What if my child is ill?
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We know that sometimes your child may be unable to attend because they feel unwell.
In this case please contact 01453 762773 or report via the absence section on School Spider. Tell us your child’s name and the reason for absence, preferably before 8:30am each day. Some parents think that their child may be better off at home if they are ill, but generally we are happy to have them in school and will keep a close eye on them to make sure that they are OK, if you ask us to. To help you to decide whether your child is well enough to come to school we use NHS guidance to advise and you can access this yourself by clicking here .
If we do not hear from you first thing in the morning and your child is not in school, then we will try and make contact with you as quickly as possible to ensure that your child is safe. This could be by telephone or home visit. Please rest assured that we always pursue this until we are satisfied, so you know that your child’s welfare is important to us.
If your child becomes ill in school or has an accident requiring more than ordinary first aid, we will contact you. It is important, therefore, that you provide telephone contacts on our Registration Form, and that you notify us of any changes, particularly to mobile phone number changes. Once a year the School Administrator sends out Data Collection Sheets containing pupil information – these are sent home to be updated. Please do let us have notification immediately should any telephone numbers change i.e. home, or mobile numbers.
What if my child has allergies or needs medication?
Please let us know if your child has any allergies or health problems. Teachers are not allowed to administer medication. If a doctor considers a child fit to attend school whilst taking a course of medicine then parents should arrange with the School Office for the medicine to be given. Should the medicine be required during the day you will be asked to complete a Request for School to Administer Medication Form. Inhalers for children with an asthmatic condition can be kept in school. If your child has a condition requiring the administering of an Epipen due to the onset of Anaphylaxis, training has been given to staff members.
What is the procedure when my child needs to be absent?
If your child is absent from school will you please let us know the reason as soon as possible by calling the School Office and leaving a message on the answer machine (before 8:45am) or report the absence via School Spider. If your child gets to school after 8:45am you will need report with your child to reception. If your child has to leave early for a dental appointment for example, please contact the school office via email or school spider and arrange to collect your child with the school office, if they return during the school day, please ensure you accompany them to the main office.
Can I take a holiday during term time?
The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations of 2013 came into force on September 1st 2013. These amendments make clear that Head Teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Parents must make a formal request to the school and receive prior permission if they wish to take their child out of school for any reason during term-time. This Request Form is available from the school office or please see the link below. This is a legal requirement.
This form will then be signed by the Head Teacher and the absence either authorised or unauthorised (refused). The form will be sent back to parents informing them of this. A penalty notice information leaflet may be sent with the letter if deemed appropriate.
If parents decide to ignore this refusal and take their children out of school on an UNUAUTHORISED basis, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised in the class register.
Files to Download
attendance-leaflet.pdf Leaflet_for_Parents_-_Prosecution_Sept_2013 (1).pdf Leaflet_for_Parents_-_Prosecution_Sept_2013.pdf Leaflet_for_Parents_-_Penalty_Notices_Sept_2013 (1).pdf PHA-Guidance-on-infection-control-in-schools-poster.pdf October 2024 Attendance Letters for School.docx Revised Attendance Policy 2024-25.pdf