Absence and Illness in term time (incl FORMS to complete)
Holidays/leave of absence in term time
If a child is expected to be absent for a reason other than for illness/medical reason, a request for a leave of absence form should be completed which is attached below. This form will be reviewed by the headteacher prior to any holiday/time off.
Cheshire West and Chester Council may issue Fixed Penalty Notices, a new National Framework for Penalty Notices for School Absence came into effect on the 19th August 2024, more information is included in the attendance policy and letter to parents attached below. Please take this into consideration for any absence from school.
A penalty notice is an out of court settlement which is intended to cause improved attendance without the need for a criminal prosecution.
All authorised, unauthorised absences and lateness are recorded in the school registers.
Our Attendance Policy can be viewed on the policy page here
Illness
Pupils who are unwell should not be sent to school. Parents are asked to notify the school office of the reason for absence as soon as possible before 9.15am each morning of absence. This is important so that we know there is no cause for concern because a child has not arrived in school. If you do not contact school, the office staff will contact you to confirm the reason for absence.
You can contact the school office on 01928 722991 using the attendance line (option 1) or email [email protected] each day of the child absence due to illness. You must state what symptoms your child has, when they started to feel unwell, if doctor's appointment has been made and when they are likely to return to school. If you just state poorly, ill or not well the school office staff will contact you for further information. Please do not notify your class teacher as they may not see the message and the school office will contact you.
We have attached guidance on if and for how long your child should be off school for if they have a common childhood illness.
Should a GP advise that your child is well enough to return to school but needs to take medicine (for instance at lunch time) a consent form to administer medicines must be completed and is available from the school office and attached below. Any prescribed medicine will need to include a pharmacists label with the child’s name, dosage and instructions clearly printed. Homeopathic/non-controlled medicines cannot be administered under any circumstances. Non-prescribed/’over the counter’ medicines can be administered to a child by school staff, or a parent/carer can come to school, when it would be detrimental to a child’s health if it were not administered during the school day.
Should you have any health queries the school nurse can be contacted at https://www.startingwell.org.uk/