Attendance & Absence

Children need to attend school regularly to benefit from their education. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school (Government School Attendance publication 2014).

Absence Requests

Vernham Dean Gillum’s Church of England Primary School’s attendance policy is in accordance with Government guidelines.  A leave of absence during term time will not be granted except in the most exceptional circumstances.  Requests for leave must be made in writing to the Headteacher (please see the absence request form below – also available from the School Office).  If you wish to make an appointment to talk through a possible absence with her, she will be more than happy to accommodate you; contact the school office on 01264 737241.  Please note that permission cannot be granted after the leave has been taken.

Illness Absence

If your child is ill in any capacity but especially high temperature, cough, loss of taste/smell, please DO NOT send your child into school. Please speak to us and we will advise of next steps.

The guidance remains as per our absence policy that for diarrhoea and vomiting your child must be off school for at least 48 hours from the last bout.

If a child or staff member is displaying COVID-19 symptoms, they will be sent home immediately (staff member) and the child will be isolated with a staff member until they can be collected.

Please ensure we have up to date records of contacts and that if you know you will be unavailable that your second contact is prepared.

If you are unsure whether to send your child to school please consult the NHS guide which may help you make a decision

Is my child too ill for school?

Absence during key Statutory Assessment time

There are times within the year when Statutory Assessments are taking place in school as set by the Government.  In 2023 children in Year 6 must not request an absence or be absent from school during the week of Monday 13 May to Thursday 16 May as this is when KS2 SATs take place.

For the end of KS1 Assessments- Year 2 children should not request an absence or be absent during the whole of the month of May as this is when KS1 Statutory Assessments are taking place.

For Year 1 the Statutory phonic screening check is the week of Monday 10th June to Friday 14th June and so absence requests will not be permitted and children need to be in school that week.

Persistent Absence or Lateness

If your child is persistently late or absent from school the school is duty bound to inform the Local Authority and implement a penalty notice.

When is it ok for my child to stay away from school?

Illness
If your child is ill please call the school office in the morning to inform us that they will be absent from school; we are sorry but we cannot accept a message via a sibling.  For absences of 5 days or more medical evidence will be required.

Medical Appointments
When possible please try to arrange these out of school hours, at weekends or during school holidays. Naturally, there will be times when this isn’t  possible but you must try to give as much advance warning as possible to the school office.

Religious Festivals
Please ask the school in advance for permission to take time off for religious reasons. the Government advises schools to take advice from local religious leaders as to the appropriate number of days to allow as authorise absence for each festival.

Information and Advice about Attendance

If you would like advice on ensuring attendance, Hampshire County Council have several pages covering different topics including Penalty Notices.