MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND ATTENDANCE
Please refer to our Attendance Policy for full information.
In this section you will find information about:
- How to notify us that your child will be absent from school
- Absence due to sickness
- Why might I receive a medical call or medical letter from school?
- Common illnesses and when to keep your child off school.
- Holiday requests during term time
How to notify us that your child will be absent from school
Parents / carers should message the school office via the GATEWAY APP or telephone and follow the automated prompts to leave a message with details of the child’s absence, as soon as you know your child will be absent but no later than 8.30 am for Juniors and 9am for the Infants, stating the reason for non-attendance - please do not leave a message saying they are unwell, please be specific, and include the name and class of the child e.g. John Smith, class 4X has a stomach bug. Please do this each day your child is absent.
Office staff check all class registers from 9am, to identify those pupils who are absent. Where a child is absent from school and we have not received any communication from the parent, we initiate follow up procedures. Initially this is a text to parents asking for a reason for absence. If no response is received within an hour, we will call you to ascertain why your child is off school. If after a number of attempts to contact you, we are still unable to obtain information as to why the child is not at school we will record this as unauthorised attendance and this absence may also be flagged as a safeguarding concern.
It is essential your child attends as much school as possible. Missed sessions means missed learning opportunities and poor attendance reduces the chances of your child reaching their full potential. Stoke Hill Federation actively promotes and expects high attendance. Your child’s attendance is monitored by the Attendance Committee and where a child hits absence thresholds the school will contact home to support you with making attendance improvements.
Absence due to sickness
All children are ill at some point, and we understand that 100% attendance is not possible for all children. However, if a child’s attendance drops to 95% this is equivalent to missing two whole weeks of school in the academic year, and 90% is equivalent to missing four weeks of learning. This will impact on learning, friendships, social dynamics and your child’s confidence in class. We strive to encourage and promote high attendance rates through rigorous monitoring and supporting parents as early as possible when attendance levels begin to drop.
If your child is experiencing anxiety about coming to school, please do let your child’s teacher know. Early identification helps us to put in place appropriate support to try to overcome this.
Please where possible, make medical appointments out of school hours, children leaving class halfway through a lesson not only disturbs their learning but also affects other children in the class. If you must make a medical appointment during school hours, please try to make it towards the end of the school day and notify the office in advance. Where requested provide evidence of the appointment.
Why might I receive a medical call or medical letter from school?
We regularly review pupil sickness information and may call you to discuss your child’s illnesses and what support can be put in place to manage this and improve their attendance.
Where sickness levels are significant, we will, in line with school policy send letters home. A day at school is equal to 2 sessions (morning session and afternoon session).
Common illnesses and when to keep your child off school.
We are happy to provide some links with information about common illnesses. Please be aware this is guidance only and you should always contact your GP if you are worried about the health and medical wellbeing of your child. The NHS A-Z of conditions can be found HERE
