Good attendance is a vital component to a child’s success at school. It not only allows your child to make the best progress they can, but also prepares them to grow into responsible, reliable individuals.

Clare Cockburn is the senior leader at Wheatfields Infants’ and Nursery School with responsibility for attendance strategy, working closely with AAT  Attendance Lead, Ceri Chaudhry.

If you have concerns about attendance on a day-to-day basis, please contact your child’s class teacher or Jayne Nicholl (Deputy Head/Pastoral Lead)

Full details of our attendance policy and procedures can be found here.

Absence

If your child is absent or late due to illness, or an appointment, the parent must inform the school either by telephone or email on each day of absence  before 9:30am .

 Absence Line - 01727 859978  Option 1 (24 hour answer machine)

Email - absence@wheatfieldsinfants.aat.school

A specific reason must be given for the absence.

Is my child too ill for School?

We expect all of our children to attend school everyday unless they are unwell. 

The below guidance is taken from the NHS website and includes information on common childhood illnesses where school is missed when it needn’t be.

It is vital to follow this, as school will not authorise your child’s absence if they feel they are well enough to be in school.

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

Please can you remember to cancel their school meal on The Pantry website, to avoid the school being charged unnecessarily.

If your child is absent and we have not heard from you then our Receptionist- Mrs Rodrigues will call. If you are unavailable she will leave a message for you to call back and let us know the reason for absence. If you get this message please do call ASAP. 

On the child’s return to school, if 3 days or more have elapsed, a written explanation needs to be sent with the child so this can be entered as an official absence on the attendance register.

Late Arrivals

Children are expected to line up on the playground (Year 1 and Year 2 ) or outside the classroom (Reception) by 8:50am.  The morning register closes at 9.00 am

 If you arrive late (after 9.00am) , you will need to go to the Office to sign your child in. This is a safeguarding requirement and ensures that all children are recorded accurately on the register. The office team will arrange for your child to be taken to their classroom. 

Children arriving after 8:50am  but before 9:20 am will be given an L code late mark. Children arriving after 9:20am will be given a U code meaning absence is unauthorised.

If you know your child is going to be late into school, can you please inform the school so we know what time we should be expecting them to arrive.

COVID 19 

The current Government guidelines and advice regarding Covid 19 can be found here.

Going Home from School Unwell

If your child is unwell,  a member of  staff will assess whether your child needs to go home and they will call you to come and collect your child.

Medical Evidence

If medical evidence is requested in order to authorise absence, we would need to see one of the following:

• Prescription
• Hospital letter
• Signed note from the GP
• Medicine with the prescribed sticker on it.
•  Appointment card with name and date on it.

Medical Appointments

 If your child has an urgent appointment that cannot be taken out of school hours they will still be required to be in school both before and after the appointment where possible. You may need to provide an appointment card/letter for any absence to be classed as medical otherwise your child will be marked in as late or as an unauthorised absence. 

Leave of Absence during Term Time

Headteachers no longer have the discretion to allow time for a family holiday or to agree to extended leave for parents/carers to visit their country of origin during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Taking children out of school during term time means they would be losing valuable school time at the expense of their education. If your child is absent from school because of a holiday, which has not been agreed, then this will be classified as an unauthorised absence and you may be fined or legal action taken against you. If you feel that the circumstances for an absence is exceptional then an application must be made to school, prior to any arrangements being made. School will then decide whether or not the absence can be authorised.

To request such an absence, please complete the form below : Application for Absence during Term-Time