Late / Absence procedures

Illness or Absence

If your child is too unwell to come to school, or if there is another reason for absence, please call us on 01834 843241 from 8.30am to let us know on the first morning they are not in school. We would be grateful if any absence could be reported by 8.45am at the latest so that registers can be updated accordingly. You can of course report the absence in person if you are dropping off another of your children to school. You will receive a phone call if an absence is unexplained. We'd also be very grateful if you could call again if a medical absence lasts longer than three days, in order to update us on how your child is feeling.

Please try your best to ensure that any medical or dental appointments are taken outside of school hours. This is extremely important in order to avoid your child missing class lessons. It also helps the school greatly in terms of attendance - an area that we are expected to improve year on year. If it is impossible to avoid an appointment during the school day, please bring your child into school for morning or afternoon registration first, so that they can receive their mark for the session before leaving for the appointment.

As a general rule, all schools in Pembrokeshire analyse attendance information and make initial contact with parents if attendance drops below 90% for the academic year. You are likely to receive an official letter inviting you to discuss your child's attendance if it drops significantly below this figure. The local authority will be involved and may wish to discuss their concerns if your child's attendance drops to around 80% or under for the year.

Lateness

Lateness is not acceptable unless a genuine reason can be given. It is disruptive for the other children and teachers but is also embarrassing for the children who arrive after all their classmates. All children who arrive late to school must be signed in by their parents at Reception, including a reason for the lateness. There is a special book for this purpose. The frequency of these late marks is monitored both by school and the local authority. Our registers close at 9.15am. An arrival between 8.45 and 9.15 is marked as 'late, before the register closes'. After 9.15am an arrival is marked as 'late, after the register closes'. This means that effectively the child is absent for the whole session on the register.

Term Time Holiday Requests

Holiday requests are dealt with on an individual basis, though any agreement will only be made in exceptional circumstances. You will need to collect a request form from our office staff and submit it in plenty of time before your intended holiday. We will write to you to confirm whether or not your holiday has been authorised and Mr Palmer is very happy to discuss decisions or requests with parents as and when they are made.

Please support us by helping your child to attend as often as possible.