Absence

If your child will be absent from school due to illness (or any other reason) you should contact the school before 8.25am on the first day of absence, and every subsequent day, to let us know the reason why they will not be attending.

• Telephone - 01296 711853

• Email - absence@sirthomasfremantle.org
  

It can sometimes be difficult to know whether to keep your child off school - please follow the link below to the NHS website for guidance.

NHS - Is my child too ill for school?

Current Covid-19 Government Guidelines

Lateness

National statistics show that poor time keeping seriously affects a young person's chance of achieving their full potential. Arriving late may mean your child misses important instructions for the day and can lead to feelings of isolation and disengagement from learning.

If a student arrives at school late and without a valid reason, their absence will be marked as unauthorised which will impact their overall attendance record. Persistent lateness can be used as evidence against parents and carers if legal action were to be considered by the Local Authority under Section 444 of the Education Act.

How We Will Support You

Your child's Form Tutor is your first point of contact and will be able to offer support for day to day concerns. They will escalate concerns via the relevant Learning Lead if necessary.

If you require support with any aspect of your child's attendance, our Attendance Officer, Hannah Dobbs is here to provide any guidance, advice and help you and/or your child may need to ensure they do not miss out on their education.

• Telephone - 01296 711853

• Email - absence@sirthomasfremantle.org

Authorised Absence Requests

We ask all parents and carers for their full support in ensuring that holidays are not taken during term time. There are 175 non-school days every year to take holidays and arrange other family visits and activities.
In certain exceptional circumstances, absence can be authorised by the Head Teacher - please complete the form via the link below to submit an application

Holidays are very unlikely to be authorised unless there are exceptional circumstances.

• Absence during exam periods will not be authorised.

• Proof may be required to support your application. (eg. wedding invitation)

• Holiday absences which have not been authorised could result in a fixed penalty notice.

Medical & Dental Appointments

Ideally, all appointments should be made outside the school day, but we do understand that this is not always possible. If your child is required to attend an appointment during the school day you should email to let us know the date and time of the appointment in advance.
Students should attend school before and after the appointment.

Please be mindful of your child's timetable when making appointments and ensure they are not made during PE lessons, when students may be off-site at the field.

How You Can Support Your Child

To support you child in ensuring they attend school every day, and on time you can:

• Establish good bedtime routines. Have they set their alarm?

• Check they have packed their bag with everything they need for the following day. Is their uniform and PE kit ready?

• Ensure they have what they need to travel to school - money, bus pass, bike in good working order etc...

• Do not allow them to have a day off for any unauthorised reason such as a birthday.

• Send them to school if they have overslept.

• Only book holidays, non-urgent medical/dental appointments during school holidays or after school has finished for the day.

• Reiterate the importance of punctuality.