Attendance
Regular attendance and punctuality are considered very important at Lyde Green Primary School – not only does it help our pupils to build and strengthen firm relationships with their peers and members of staff it is also a proven factor in better attainment.
When your child is unwell and unable to come to school it is crucial that the following steps are taken for each day of their absence:
1) Telephone and speak with the school office or leave a message on the answer machine at your earliest opportunity and ideally before 8.30am.
2) On your child’s return please provide a note explaining the reason for their absence.
Please be aware that if you fail to inform the school of your child’s absence it will be recorded as unauthorised. Absences are monitored very closely and if your child has recurring absences then the Education Welfare Team will be informed.
Please feel free to contact the Headteacher if you have any concerns or require support with getting your child to school on time.
A guide to all things medical
This leaflet is aimed at helping you make the right choices while guiding you on the appropriate action to take when your child is ill.
Not all illnesses require your child to take time off school.
Reasonable medical absences
- Chicken Pox and Shingles
- Measles or German Measles
- Whooping Cough
- Mumps
Action: Up to 5 days off following the first signs of illness
- Scabies
Action: Stay away from school until treated
- Impetigo
Action: Stay away from school until lesions are crusted or healed
- Diarrhoea and Vomiting (gastroenteritis)
Action: Return to school 48 hours after the last episode
- Flu
Action: Your child may return to school as soon as they are well enough
Unreasonable medical absences
- Headlice – No time off required, treat lice and send to school
- Conjunctivitis – No time required off school – some children may require treatment
- Athlete’s Foot – No time required off school, seek medical advice to avoid spread of infection
- Period Pains – This does not require time off school (gentle exercise helps)
Treatment for Head Lice
In order to treat Head lice the following steps are essential:
- After washing your child’s hair, apply conditioner
- Comb thoroughly with a proper nit comb (available in most chemists)
- Repeat every other day until all lice and eggs have disappeared
NB
When making dental, doctors or optician appointments, please try to arrange them for out of school hours. Please be aware that an appointment during the school day does not require your child to miss the whole day at school. Other than in exceptional circumstances, it will be expected that your child either returns to school following an appointment or comes in before the appointment.
While in school if your child has had a bump to the head and/or eye/nose/face they will bring home a note from the school office informing you of any treatment they have received in the medical room and advice of any signs or symptoms to look out for at home.
Being Late
Poor punctuality is not acceptable. If a child misses the start of the day, they can miss learning input and do not spend time with their class teacher getting vital information and news for the day. Late arriving pupils also disrupt lessons and can be embarrassing for the child. Good time keeping is a vital life skill, which will help our children as they progress through their school life and out into the wider world.
How we manage lateness:
Start of the school day = 8:50 am
Lyde Green Primary open the school gates at 8.45am and classroom doors at 8.50am. Children should be here by 8.50am as we expect our children to be in class at the beginning of the day and for the opening of the register at 9.00am. School gates close at 9.00am.
Registers officially close at 9.10am. A child, who arrives at school after 9.00am but before 9.10am, will be registered as late (L code), and entered in the ‘late arrival’ book in the office. If a child is late they must arrive at school via the main door, so that their arrival is recorded.
If your child arrives after 9.10am (20 minutes later than the start of the school day) they will have an unauthorised absence (U code) for that morning session. This is in accordance with the Regulations set down by government. Children who receive more than 10 ‘U-Codes’ in 7 school weeks can result in the school requesting the Local Authority issue a penalty notice.
Authorised and unauthorised absences
Schools are required to publish attendance figures, which distinguish between authorised and unauthorised absences. Authorised absences include those of sickness, medical treatment and educational visits. Other absences can only be authorised by the Headteacher in exceptional circumstances. A special application should be made – forms can be obtained from the school office.
The school is working hard to ensure the best levels of attendance. Letters will be sent out to parents to inform them if attendance falls below 95%.
Please ensure that the school office have up to date information on your contact numbers and those for other nominated persons who will care for your child in an emergency.
How good is your attendance?
If your child achieves 90% in an exam you’d be really proud but what does that mean in terms of attendance? Let’s look a little closer…
90% attendance = ½ day missed EVERY WEEK!
1 school year at 90% attendance = 4 whole weeks of lessons missed.
What impact might this have?
Research suggests that 17 missed school days a year = a grade dropped in GCSE achievement.
If a child’s attendance is improved by 1% you could see a 5-6% improvement in attainment. Please help us and your child by ensuring their attendance remains above 95% allowing them to achieve their potential.
For more information please refer to our Attendance policy. This can be found under the 'Governance and Policies' tab on the main menu.