• Remember that every day of attendance really does matter.
• Arrive on time - students are expected to be in school by 8:30am for an 8:35am start.
• Late to school – students will be expected to complete a 30 minute, after school detention on the same day – text messages will be sent to parents/guardians. Please contact the Academy on 0121 647 2471 and press option 2 for lateness.
• Absence - Phone school daily on 0121 647 2471 whenever your child is absent, giving the reason for absence - we need to know by 9am. Evidence of an appointment is required if within school time.
• Only allow your child to stay off school for genuine illness. We all get colds and coughs and minor illness should not be a reason to miss a whole day. Feel free to call us for advice.
• Do not take holidays in school time - we will not authorise them.
• Do not allow days off for birthdays or shopping trips.
• Make routine dental, opticians or doctor’s appointments outside school time.
• Ask your child about their day to check in on any issues which may affect them wanting to be in school.
• Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns which you think are affecting your child’s attendance. The Attendance and Pastoral team should be your first point of contact.  We will fully support your child to thrive and be safe in school.
• Be aware of what your child’s attendance level is. Medical evidence may be requested to support absences

At every stage, we welcome the opportunity to engage with parents and carers.  Early intervention and student support sits at the heart of our approach to raising levels of student attendance and achievement.

KESH Academy prioritises the monitoring, support and robust action needed to secure high levels of attendance and works in close partnership with the Local Authority to place matters before the court in circumstances where parents/carers do not ensure that their child attends school regularly and punctually.

If your child is absent

• Parent/Carer to ring on each day of absence before 8.30am on 0121 647 2471 and Press 1.
• Please clearly say the child’s name, year/tutor, reason for absence and who it is calling.
• If you wish to give further details, please request a call back.

Arriving Late to School due to an appointment

• Parent/Carer to contact school by phone by 9am on 0121 647 2471 and press option 2 giving details of any pre planned or emergency appointments.
• Please provide evidence in the form of an appointment card, prescriptions or referral letters to ensure authorised absence.
• Students are expected to attend school before or after the appointment.

What happens if student is refusing to attend school

• Contact the Attendance/Pastoral Team as soon as possible.
• Please let us know if there are any issues that are affecting attendance so we can discuss strategies and appropriate support if required.

IMPORTANT: Actions on School Absence where no contact has been received

• We shall continue to send texts in the morning if students are absent from school and parent/carer has not contacted or provided a valid reason.
• If school have not received a response to the text within 15 minutes we will follow up with a phone call to check on the child.
• If we do not get a reply to the call or are concerned about a reply; then the attendance officer will make a safe and well check immediately, this may result in your child being brought into school by the member of staff to support parent/carer.

Parent(s)/Carer(s)

• We welcome the opportunity to engage with parents and carers.
• Please contact school on 0121 647 2471 to let us know if there are any issues that are affecting punctuality or attendance.
• Early intervention and student support sits at the heart of our approach to raising levels of student attendance and achievement.

Important: Actions on School Absence

• We shall continue to send texts in the morning if students are absent from school and parent/carer has not contacted or provided a valid reason
• If school have not received a response to the text within 15 minutes we will follow up with a phone call to check on the child
• If we do not get a reply to the call or are concerned about a reply; then Senior staff will make a Home Welfare Check immediately. These visits may result in the child being brought into school by Senior Staff, to support the parent. 
• If following these steps we are unable to speak to anyone and/or visually see/locate the child then we may make contact with the Police and/or Social Care to highlight a welfare concern.
• Phone school daily whenever your child is absence giving the reason for absence – we need to know by 9am please.  Evidence of an appointment is requested if within school time.
• Please make sure we have up-to-date contact details; also that you keep us informed of planned absences. 
• At any point, if the school is concerned, we may make unannounced Home Visits – this may be due to low levels of attendance or continuous absence. 

Parents and carers have a big impact on children’s attendance and we appreciate your alertness 

The most common reason given for children to miss school is illness. However, most of the time childhood ailments can be managed in school.

Is my child well enough to attend school?

Many children experience common ailments from time to time. Most of these do not need a prescription, are rarely serious and do not require time away from school. Often treating your child’s ailment or illness yourself, or with advice and medicines from your pharmacist, can be the quickest and easiest way to deal with it.

What if a pupil feels unwell during the school day?

If a pupil feels unwell during the school day they should inform their class teacher, the class teacher will then make an assessment of the child’s ability to stay in lesson. If there is a medical emergency a first aider will be called for immediately. If a child is deemed too ill to stay in school, a decision will be made by the pastoral manager and the attendance officer, and parents will be informed. 

What if a pupil needs to take medication during the school day?

If a pupil needs to take medication in school, we advise that parents/carers inform the school via a telephone call or a letter, there is a medical consent form that will need to be completed, and the school will make arrangements to safely store the medicine in school. 

Advice on common ailments

Colds and coughs

A child may attend school with slight cold and cough.

If your child has asthma, remember they may need their blue inhaler more often.

Aches and pains

If your child has a persistent tooth or ear ache, they need to see a dentist or a doctor without delay. A child whose only complaint is slight headache does not usually need to be kept at home.

Tummy ache and sickness

If your child complains of ‘non severe’ tummy ache or has had an episode of sickness but is generally feeling well, has a headache or other symptoms persistently and is not wanting to attend school, this may be linked to your child being unhappy at school or with something else e.g. friendship issues or finding school work difficult. Speak to your child and contact a member of the pastoral student support team if this is the case so that appropriate plans of support can be put in place.

Severe vomiting and diarrhoea

If a child has severe vomiting or has diarrhoea, keep them off school and ensure adequate fluid intake. Children should return to school 48 hours after the last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting.

Sore throat

If your child complains of a slight sore throat and has no other symptoms, they are fit to come to school. If the sore throat occurs with a raised temperature, they need to stay at home or seek medical advice where appropriate.

Lack of sleep

Establishing good habits is important. Ensure that your child goes to bed early as lack of sleep will affect his/her ability to function in the morning, leading to lateness.

Medical appointments

Where possible please arrange doctor, dentist and optician appointments outside of school hours. If this is not possible, your child should attend school for the remainder of the day.

Guidance on infection control in schools

www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/Guidance_on_infection_control_in schools_poster.pdf

We ask that parents inform school immediately if diagnosed or suspected infections to help protect students and staff.

Student Leave of Absence Information and Supporting Evidence

As you will all be aware, current attendance regulations state that a Principal may not grant a leave of absence during term-time unless there are exceptional circumstances. We are unable to grant any requests for leave of absence due to holiday.

Parents do not have the automatic right to withdraw pupils from school and, in law, have to apply for permission in advance.

Exceptional circumstances are defined as exceptional significant family events or circumstances, and will be considered on a case by case basis. The Principal will consider every request individually.

Some of the examples of what will not meet exceptional circumstances criteria are:

• Cheaper holidays in the UK or abroad
• Family Day Trips
• Relatives coming to visit
• Visiting family or friends that have differing school holidays
• Attending family weddings or visits to see family abroad

You are advised not to make any arrangements until your request has been considered by the school.  If you withdraw your child without prior permission, you can be fined.

If your child is away from school during this period it will be recorded as Unauthorised Absence. As a school we are obliged to inform you that you may be subject to a Penalty Notice if your child’s absence from school is unauthorised.

The Penalty Notice fine would be £60 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days, rising to £120 per parent, per child if paid between 21-28 days. If the fine is not paid within 28 days you may be prosecuted under S444.1 of the Education Act 1996. I must advise you that if the prosecution takes place, the maximum fine is £1,000 per parent, per child. This reflects the seriousness of unauthorised absence from school.

Leave of Absence form can be downloaded below or can also be obtained from reception.

Arrive on time

• Students are expected to be in school and lining up for lesson by 8:30am for an 8:35am lesson start

What happens if students are late

• Late to school – students who arrive at school after 8:35am will be required to sign in at reception. Please be aware that S2 detentions are issued for lateness to the academy and sat on the same day.

Arriving Late to School

• The student will be at a disadvantage.
• The student may miss important knowledge/content at the start of the lesson and interrupt learning.
• Persistent lateness - the Pastoral Lead will require a meeting with students and parents to discuss lateness.

Parent(s)/Carer(s)

• We welcome the opportunity to engage with parents and carers.  
• Please contact school on 0121 647 2471 to let us know if there are any issues that are affecting punctuality or attendance.
• Early intervention and student support sits at the heart of our approach to raising levels of student attendance and achievement.