Attendance

For a child to reach their full educational achievement a high level of school attendance is essential.

Parents/carers and teachers share the responsibility for supporting and promoting excellent school attendance and punctuality for all. It is our duty to consistently strive to achieve a goal of 100% attendance for all children. Every opportunity will be used to convey to pupils and their parent/carers the importance of regular and punctual attendance.

For our children to take full advantage of the educational opportunities offered it is vital your child is at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. The routines children develop around attendance and punctuality at school are the same as the expectations of any future employer in the world of work. High attainment, confidence with peers and staff, and future aspirations depend on good attendance.

Lateness

Children are to arrive in school between 8.40am and 8.50am with registers being taken at 8.50am. If your child arrives at school after 8.50am they are to be taken to the school office where you will be asked to sign them in.
Children who arrive between 8.50am and 9.25am their absence will be recorded as ‘late’. If your child arrives after this time, the absence will be recorded as ‘unauthorised absence’. We monitor carefully all children who arrive late for school and work with parent/carers to improve punctuality.

Illness

Parent/carers are to telephone the school office on 01258 857348 on the first day of absence to explain the reason why your child is away from school. We have an answering machine and the phones are manned from 8am onwards, alternatively you can email office@sturminstermarshall.dorset.sch.uk
If your child is absent for more than one day, please keep the school informed during your child’s absence
If your child has a medical or dental appointment, please try to make them out of school hours if possible. If they are in school hours please bring in their appointment card or letter so we can put a copy in their file along with a Notification of Medical Absence Form which must be completed.
It is important to let the school know if your child has any ongoing health problems so that the right support can be put in place.
The department of health has produced guidelines that schools follow with regards to illness of children in education and infection control. Health protection in schools and other childcare facilities. It is clearly stated if a child has experienced diarrhoea and/or vomiting they must remain at home for 48 hours after the last episode.

Pick Up

Children are to be picked up from their classroom door at 3.15pm promptly or if attending a club at the club’s finish time, normally 4.15pm.
In order to help the teachers and teaching assistants with seeing the children out of school safely, if there is a change to who is collecting their child/ren we ask parents/carers to notify the class teacher and the school office.

Unauthorised absence

The school will not authorise absence for any of the following reasons: holidays, shopping, looking after other members of the family, minding the house, birthdays or similar events.
Should you wish to take your child out of school for any leave of absence, requests should be made by completing an Application for Leave of Absence From School Form accompanied by a supporting letter.

Persistent Absence

The school monitors the attendance of all children. If your child’s attendance falls below 95%, you will receive a letter informing you. If absence continues, you will be invited into school to discuss the reasons for your child’s absence. If necessary, a referral will be made to the attendance team at Dorset Council, so that the absence can be further investigated and support put in place.

For more information on attendance at our school please read our Attendance Policy.