Attendance

Attendance and punctuality are a priority at St Leonard’s and it is our aim to keep absences to a minimum as there is a strong link between attendance and academic progress. We aim to promote a culture across the school which identifies the importance of regular and punctual attendance.

It is parents’ duty to ensure that their child attends school and arrives on time.

For more information, please see our Attendance Policy available on the polices page of our website. 

Illness

Children may be feeling a bit under the weather but are still well enough to attend school. We always look after children's wellbeing and if there are any issues, we will contact parents/carers to discuss. 

The NHS have a useful guide about certain illnesses and when your child is well enough to come to school. 

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/ 

Absences

Parents are asked to ring school by 9.15 am on the first day of an unexpected absence to provide the reason for absence.

if a reason is not provided, the absence will be marked as unauthorised.

All known absences, such as a medical appointments, should be notified in advance.

Leave of Absence

A ‘Leave of absence’ form needs to be completed if you wish your child to be absent from school during term time for any other reason. These need to be provided with advanced notice (at least two weeks where possible).

Persistent Absence 

A record of absences is kept and parents/carers will be notified of their child’s percentage attendance on written reports. 

Parents/carers will be notified if their child’s attendance (whether or not this is authorised) is at risk of falling below 90%. This is to provide early support to families to make improvements to ensure their child doesn’t become a persistent absentee. 

Lateness

If a pupil arrives after the register has been called but before the register is closed, they will be marked as late.

If a pupil arrives in school after the register is closed without good reason it will be marked as an unauthorised absence.

All latecomers should enter school by the main entrance as the gates are locked at 8.55. 

Latecomers should be brought in to school by their parent/carer who should sign the child in and give a reason for lateness.

Should punctuality become an issue, parents/carers will be contacted by school to support them in making improvements in the best interests of the child. 

Where pupils have to leave school during a school day, e.g. to visit the doctor, school must be notified in advance. 

Any pupils leaving school during the school day should be accompanied by their parent/carer, or other responsible adult notified to the school, and be signed out by them. Pupils returning to school during the school day should be signed in again.

If the appointment is at the beginning of the school day or the beginning of the afternoon and continues after the register is closed the pupil will be marked absent for that session.

WHERE POSSIBLE, ROUTINE APPOINTMENTS SHOULD NOT BE MADE DURING THE SCHOOL DAY IN TERM TIME.

Family Holidays in Term Time

Parents are not entitled to leave of absence for their children for holidays in term time. At the headteacher’s discretion, leave during term time may be authorised only where there are exceptional circumstances, which should be notified to the school and agreed prior to booking. Leave of absence forms are available from the school office and must be completed and sent to school for consideration with at least two weeks notice. If there are no exceptional circumstances, the absence will not be authorised. As per the Attendance policy, ten sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence within one term or 14 sessions (7 days) over two terms, may lead to local authority penalty notices being issued.