At Henry Green Primary School, we want our children to be successful at school and achieve to the highest levels, to do this they must attend school regularly.
It is very important that your child arrives at school on time, for all year groups apart from nursery the school day starts at 8.40am; however, the school doors will stay open until 8.50am. All children arriving after 8.50 am must report to the office where their parent/carer must provide an explanation as to why they are late.
Absence from school can only usually be justified when your child is ill. Family holidays, outings and, where possible, medical and dental appointments must be arranged out of school time.
See below – Is my child too ill for school and Reasons not to keep your child off school.
If, for any reason, your child is late or absent, a message or email must be given to the school office explaining the reason for the absence/lateness. If you know your child will be absent, a telephone call before 9:00 am will prevent a phone call home being made.
If you do not contact the school to report your child’s absence or the school has not been able to contact the parents regarding the reason for absence, then the child will be marked as an unauthorised absence. Please see our school attendance policy for further information.
Children should be collected at 3:20pm. If your normal collection arrangements fail, please telephone to let us know before the end of school as some children feel very anxious when they are not collected on time.
Holidays
Henry Green School have adopted the Local Authority Policy and do not authorise holidays taken during term time.
Any unauthorised absences, including holidays, may result in a Fixed Penalty Notice Fine of £80 (£160 if not paid within 21 days) per parent per child.
If parents are booking or have booked a holiday, they need to fill in an online ‘Emergency leave of absence’ form, this needs to be submitted 4 weeks prior to the first date of absence, these are available from the school website, and parents or carers will then be called in to discuss the absence in a meeting on a case-by-case basis.
If you inform us that your child is ill either immediately before or after a school holiday, you will need to provide the school with medical documentation that confirms the illness. Without this, the absence will not be authorised. If your child’s absence is connected to a problem with travel or flights, we will need to see documentation of the original flight and documentation of the change.
Celebration for Good Attendance
Each week the school takes part in a celebration assembly.
Classes are given the opportunity to win the trophy for the best attendance each week. At the end of each term children with the best attendance are celebrated in assembly If they have reached 100% attendance by the end of the school year, they will receive special recognition.
Reasons not to keep your child off school
- If you or another sibling is ill
- On their birthday
- To attend a non-urgent medical appointment or check-up (wherever possible, dentist and eyesight appointments should be made after school hours or at the weekend).
- To avoid going on a school trip (if you have any concerns about a school trip, please ask to make an appointment to see a member of the Leadership Team).
In cases of illness, parents are asked to telephone the school on 0208 2704466 and speak to a member of the office team. Please remember to give specific details of the illness because “poorly/unwell” is not sufficient.
If the absence continues for any length of time, please keep the school updated. A note confirming the reason for absence with any medical documentation, should be sent in with your child upon their return.
If you are unsure whether or not your child is too ill to come to school, please see the advice provided on the school website.
Is my child too ill for school?
When your child is unwell, it can be hard deciding whether to keep them off school. These simple guidelines should help.
Not every illness needs to keep your child from school.
Use common sense when deciding whether or not your child is too ill to attend school.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is my child well enough to do the activities of the school day?
- Is my child ill or tired? Many children do not have enough sleep and extreme tiredness is often the underlying reason for a child saying they don’t feel well and able to go to school.
- Please ensure your child has enough sleep. The recommended amount of sleep for children is
– 4-7year olds: 10.5 and 11.5 hours per night
– 8-11year olds: 9.5 and 10.5 hours per night - Is my child likely to feel better once they are in school? Remember children often feel worse when they first wake up (and this is sometimes due to tiredness rather than illness) but once they are in school they feel much better. Sometimes, a dose of Calpol in the morning will be enough to help your child feel well enough to come to school.
- Is taking a day off school worth the educational impact of this absence?
If your child is on antibiotics, and is otherwise feeling well enough to come to school, you can come to the school to administer the medication. - Could there be another reason why your child says they are too unwell for school? If your child is anxious or stressed about coming to school, please inform a member of staff immediately. Absence can be linked to an underlying issue. We want to work with parents to ensure every child wants to be in school, unless they are genuinely poorly
- If in doubt, bring your child to school. We will phone you if your child is too poorly to stay in school for the day. Common conditions If your child is ill, it’s likely to be due to one of a few minor health conditions. Whether you send your child to school will depend on how severe you think the illness is. Use this guidance to help you make that judgement. Remember: if you’re concerned about your child’s health, consult a health professional.
Please Tell the school – It’s important to inform the school if your child is going to be absent. On the first day of your child’s illness, telephone the school to tell them that your child will be staying at home. The school may ask about the nature of the illness and how long you expect the absence to last.
Please contact the school on each day of absence, otherwise the absence will be unauthorised.