Late/Absence/Holiday Procedures

Monks Risborough CE Primary School is committed to giving pupils the best start to their school life. Promoting regular attendance is part of this commitment. With good attendance pupils will have the opportunities they need to develop friendships, feel secure in school routines and gain maximum benefit from the educational experiences on offer.

Absences

Parents must phone the school office before 9 a.m. on each day that their child is absent as the school must be able to account for all pupils in the morning. Please email office@monks.org.uk, leave a message on 01844 345590 or complete the absence section of our school app with child's name, class and full information on nature of child's illness.

If your child is unwell with any sickness or diarrhoea, they must stay at home for 48 hours after their last bout.

Medical Appointments

These need to be made outside of school hours. Where this is not possible , please notify us as above (in advance where possible) and collect your child from the main office.

Lateness

Please can I also remind you that the school gates will shut promptly at 8:45 and all children are expected to be in class ready to learn. If your child is late then you should accompany them to the school office and sign in at the late book. If your child is late more than x in a term then you will need to come in for a meeting so we can work together to improve their punctuality.  Children who are persistently late will be reported to the local authority as stated in our policy. 

Leave of absence/Holidays during term time

Attendance 

As we are all aware, attendance at school is crucial for your child’s learning and development. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of our attendance policy which is attached here, can be found in policies and attendance page.

Every 5 weeks, we monitor attendance. If your child’s attendance falls below 90% you will automatically receive a letter notifying you of this. We will then continue to monitor your child’s attendance for the next 5 weeks. If your child’s attendance does not improve you will be asked to come in for a meeting so we can work together in order to ensure the best outcomes for your child. Children who are persistently absent will be reported to the local authority as stated in our policy. 

The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2013 have removed all references to family holidays and leave of absence shall not be granted unless an application had been made in advance and the Headteacher considers that leave of absence should be granted due to exceptional circumstances. Whilst the Headteacher will consider all requests on a case-by-case basis, parents must be aware that requests will normally be refused. We ask that families do not book holidays during term time. Missing the first few days of a new term can be particularly unsettling for a child. We would therefore urge parents to check school dates carefully before booking holidays.

Under the 1996 Education Act, parents and carers are responsible for ensuring their children attend school regularly and punctually. Failure to do so could result in legal action being taken against them by the Local Authority.