Attendance at school is an important issue.  We are committed to ensuring that all children attend school 100% of the time. 

Current factors that affect our absence levels include:

1. Illness
2. Holidays in term time
3. Medical appointments made in the school day

Here is some brief guidance of these three factors:

1. Illness

Most mild illnesses like coughs and colds should not result in any time off school.  There are some illnesses which can be very contagious and may require a period of time off school.  Please visit the NHS website to find some useful advice on the question:  Is my child too ill for school? 

Tummy ache is also a common complaint in children and could be as a result of anxiety.  In these cases it is always good to bring the child to school and talk to the class teacher about possible underlying worries or concerns that may be resulting in feelings of anxiety.

2. Holidays in term time

Absences of any kind, particularly at the start of a new term in school, can have a huge impact upon the attainment and well-being of pupils.  The guidelines on what constitutes exceptional circumstances are clear and holidays in term-time are unlikely to be agreed by the school.  We do not set additional work for children who go away on holiday in term time as this has a negative impact upon teacher workload.

3. Medical appointments made in the school day

Wherever possible, medical appointments should be made outside of the school day.  Obviously, there may be times when you cannot change a medical appointment that will fall during the school day, however it is vital that your child comes to school before the appointment and returns back to school as soon as possible after the appointment to have the lowest impact upon them.

Leave of Absence Request

The DFE states that the discretion to grant leave must be used very sparingly and only in the most exceptional circumstances.  It is highly unlikely that a holiday during term time will be authorised.

Our Attendance Policy gives some clear guidance.  If a parent chooses not to bring their child to school following a leave of absence being rejected, the absence will be marked as unauthorised and could lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice.

Any request must be received by the school at least two weeks prior to the absence (unless the absence is unforeseen).

Holidays/Leave taken without permission must be recorded as unauthorised.

Please complete the form attached and include a letter of explanation. If there is no letter of explanation included it will automatically be unauthorised. Forms should be emailed to admin@greatbarton.suffolk.sch.uk