School Hours
Reception and Year 1/2
Arrival time: 8.40am Gates locked: 8.45am
Finishing time: 3.15pm
KS2—Years 3-6
Arrival time: 8.40am Gates locked: 8.45am
Finishing time: 3.20pm
Lates
Children arriving after the gates are locked should arrive by pressing the intercom near the Crowden Road vehicle gate and will receive a late mark.
Reporting an Absence
Parents and carers are expected to notify school by 9.30am on the first morning their child is absent, by either telephoning the school office on 01827 896666 and pressing option 1 to leave a message on the absence line, or by Dojo messaging Mrs Bevan and Mrs Clifton. Please do not notify teachers of absences, all absences should be reported to the office.
If notification by the parent/carer is not received by 9.30am on the first day of absence, a telephone call or text/dojo message will be made to the parent/carer to determine the reason for non-attendance. In cases where the school is unable to ascertain a reason for absence, the session will be recorded as unauthorised (O). Where children are absent for second and subsequent days (this does not have to be consecutive) and there has been no contact from parents/carers, Mrs Claire Bevan, School Liaison & Support Officer, will attempt to make contact via telephone, home visit or letter. Should the unexplained absence continue and a child’s attendance falls below 95% the attendance procedures will be followed.
If your child has an illness that may be contagious, please check with the school office before sending your child to school.
If your child has suffered with sickness or diarrhoea, please keep them at home for 48 hours after the last bout.
Medication
We are only able to administer medication prescribed by a doctor when an indemnity form has been completed. Paper copies are available from the school office or a digital online form can be found at the bottom of this page.
Medication must be handed in to the class teacher or at the office and should not be kept in your child’s bag. If it is necessary for your child to take medication longer term, a care plan will be created by Mrs Bevan in consultation with you.
Missing Children
If a child is absent for a continuous period of 10 days or more without school’s permission we must notify the Local Authority. School will contact SCASS and take due regard of safeguarding procedures where absence of a particular child is less than 10 days but presents a cause for concern. A home visit may be made to clarify the whereabouts and safety of your child.
Attendance Monitoring
Our aim is to ensure parents/carers are fully informed regarding their children’s attendance. To support this we use a colour coded system. As a school our aim is to achieve an overall attendance of 96%, which will give every young person the best chance of achieving their full potential, and bringing us in line with national attendance expectations.
To ensure every family is fully aware of their child’s current attendance percentage each term we will send out a letter detailing which group your child is in. If your child is in the red or yellow group a copy of the attendance certificate will be included.
Regular checks of the percentage attendance of all students below 96% will be completed and further action taken as below:
Below 96% - A standard letter may be sent to parents/carers reminding them of the importance of regular school attendance.
Below 90% - Parents/carers may be sent a Stage 1 concern letter setting out timescales for improvement.
If no sustained improvement occurs within set timescales - Parents/carers may be invited in to a meeting with the School Liaison & Support Officer and school Governor to discuss attendance and support available. Parents/carers may also be informed that no further absences will be authorised without medical evidence, this will be confirmed in writing. Should carers fail to attend this meeting the school may contact Education Welfare and/or SCASS for further support.
If there is no sustained improvement and attendance continues to fall - The School will contact Education Welfare and/or SCASS and an application for a Penalty Notice will be made.
Rewards
At Stoneydelph Primary School we are keen to reward children who’s attendance is good (98% or above). There are a number of strategies we employ to do this including termly certificates for those children who have achieved above 98% attendance, class based attendance rewards and our colour coded system rewards the children with 96% attendance and above through receipt of a letter congratulating them and their parents for good attendance.
Medical Appointments
Missing school for a medical appointment is counted as an authorised absence. Parents should try to make these out of school hours. Where this is not possible, the student should only be out of school for a minimum amount of time necessary with appointments being made at the beginning or end of the day to minimise disruption to the school day.
Illness at school
In cases where a student is unwell at school, parents/carers will be contacted, they should then make arrangements for the child to be collected from school. Please ensure we have your up to date contact details.
Leave during term time
Parents and carers should be aware that holidays in term time will not be authorised unless there are exceptional circumstances. Please complete the Leave of Absence Request form BEFORE booking any term time holiday. Paper forms are available from the office or you can complete a digital online form which can be found at the bottom of this page. You may be fined if you take your child out of school for a holiday during term time.
As of the 1st September 2013, the law gave no entitlement to parents to take their child on holiday during term time. Any application for leave must only be in exceptional circumstances and the Head Teacher must be satisfied that the circumstances are exceptional and warrant the granting of leave.
Head Teachers would not be expected to class any term time holiday as exceptional. Parents can receive a Penalty Notice from the Local Authority for taking their child on holiday during term time without consent from the school. Any period of unauthorised leave may result in a parent/carer receiving a penalty notice fine, there is no longer a defined timescale for this type of unauthorised absence and multiple fines may be issued within an academic year.
Applications for leave of absence during term time must be made in writing at least 3 weeks in advance and the school must be satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances, which warrant the leave. Where a leave of absence is granted, the school will determine the number of days a student can be away from school. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the school’s discretion and is not a parental right.
A written reply will be given to any parents requesting leave of absence, whether approved or not. In the cases of leave being unauthorised a Penalty Notice Application may be made (see section above for further details).
For the most up to date advice and guidance, and to access a copy of the revised Code of Conduct for issuing Penalty Notices please go to: www.staffordshire.gov.uk/education or contact the Education Welfare Worker based within the Local Support Team on 01827 782004
