Amazing Attendance!

At Barwell Infant School we believe that children can only learn effectively if they attend school regularly. It is important too, that children arrive and leave school on time. 

It is equally important that children should not be at school if they are unwell; and that when they are in school they feel happy, safe and relaxed.

Our aims for attendance:

To expect regular attendance, even when it is recognised that families and children have problems

To actively promote attendance and punctuality

To regularly and clearly communicate with children and parents our attendance and punctuality expectations; i.e. through regular newsletters, the school website and specific attendance letters.

You can view a full version of our Attendance Policy by clicking on the link below:

Absence due to illness

The law requires the school to either record your child’s absence from school as either ‘authorised’ or ‘unauthorised’. Most absences from school can be authorised by the school, if the parent or guardian provides the school with a reasonable reason for the absence. Examples of authorised absences may include illness and medical or dental appointments.

On the day that your child is absent, if we have not received a message from the parent or guardian by 9:30am, our office staff will phone parents. This is a safeguarding practice, to ensure that all of our children are safely accounted for.

Illness or injury whilst at school:

If your child is taken ill during the school day, they will be closely monitored by staff and provided with additional care to make them feel better (a drink of water, a quiet place to rest, a break in the fresh air, etc.) Usually these small measures are sufficient to help your child start to feel better and they are able to rejoin their class.  If your child continues to feel unwell, then a parent or other emergency contact will be telephoned and asked to fetch them from school.

If your child has a bump or injury during the day, they will receive first aid treatment from a qualified member of staff.  The details of the incident will be logged at school and parents will receive a note home informing them of the nature of the injury and any treatment that was administered.  If we feel that there is the slightest possibility that your child may need to be seen by a doctor, we will telephone the parents and explain what has happened (telephone calls are made for all head bumps that result in treatment).

Absence due to holiday

Following recent changes to the law, headteachers no longer have the authority to authorise holidays during term time.  If parents take their children on holiday during term time the absence will be ‘unauthorised’ and the parents may be fined by the Local Authority (fines currently stand at approximately £60 per parent, per child ~ hence, if a mother and father chose to take their two children out of school for a week or more they could be fined £240).

The headteacher can exercise discretion in exceptional circumstances.  These may include time out of school to attend funerals or weddings of close family.  In these circumstances, parents should collect an application form for pupil absence from the school office as soon as possible and return it to the headteacher for consideration.

You can download an application form for pupil absence using the link below: