Attendance
ATTENDANCE
For students to secure the best outcomes, attending school regularly is vital. We expect students to attend school on time every day the school is open, unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.
Our attendance expectations are outlined below and summarises what to do when your child is absent from school:
- Supporting evidence may be requested for all absences when attendance falls below the threshold of 95%.
- Please ensure that if your child is absent that you report this as early as possible. You can do this via Stuybugs App. You must also ensure you make contact on every subsequent day of absence. If you have not already downloaded and registered for the app, please could you do so via Google play or the App store. If support is needed accessing the Studybug App, please refer to the Parent Registration Guide found here.
Minor illnesses and complaints such as headaches, cough, colds, tummy pains, period pains and hayfever etc, are not deemed as acceptable reasons for absences. We ask that your child take the appropriate medication or remedy and come into school as soon as possible. Your child can bring in extra medication – a maximum of 2 tablets - should they need further medication later on in the day. If your child has a sickness and/or diarrhoea bug they can return to school as soon as they feel better. We do not operate a 48 hour rule and advise that you seek medical attention should the symptoms persist. Most illness/conditions should not keep children off school Please refer to the NHS website “is my child too ill for school?”
Where medical/dental appointments cannot be arranged outside of school hours, students are expected to attend school either before or after the appointment time. Whole days will not be authorised where this is unnecessary and appointment cards, letters or screen shots of planned appointments are required. Appointments attended during the school day will be marked with M or L if your child arrives in school after the appointment. We cannot mark a child present in school when attending a medical appointment.
If your child’s attendance drops below 95% without good reason, you will receive an initial letter (1) informing you that we are concerned and monitoring the situation. If there are further absences, a subsequent letter (2) will be sent inviting you to attend an attendance panel/meeting with a member of the pastoral team and an Attendance Contract may be issued. Following Letters 1 and 2, if there is no improvement in your child’s attendance, then the following actions may be taken.
Home visit from the Educational Welfare Officer or a member of the Pastoral Team
Referral to the Education Welfare Officer
Notice to improve
Education Penalty Notice
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Leave of absence during term time is not permitted, and Headteachers can only give consideration to applications that are not only unavoidable but also meet the “Exceptional Circumstance” criteria. You may be asked to provide any supporting evidence of the request.
You will be notified of the outcome of the decision. If your request is refused, you may be liable for a Penalty Notice. Please refer to the attendance policy on our website.
Applications can be made in writing directly to the attendance team via email or via the school leave of absence form which should be sent to attendance@raynespark.merton.sch.uk
The school will be able to request a Penalty Notice fine to be issued if there is a real and genuine documented belief by the school that Leave of Absence was taken without a prior request and either attributed to other reasons or no explanation for the absence was provided.