Attendance

For information on day-to-day attendance please contact the Office Team, admin@gardenfields.aetrust.uk, 01727 890440 .  

The senior leader responsible for attendance is Mr Sutton, head@gardenfields.aetrust.uk, 01727 890440 . 

Please talk with your child’s class teacher in the first instance if you have concerns or are having any issues with your child's attendance.  

Absence Procedures

We monitor and review all pupils’ absence - and the reasons that are given - thoroughly.

If a student is absent or late due to illness, or an appointment, the parent must inform the school before 8.40am either by telephone on the student absence line (01727 890 440) or via email: admin@gardenfields.aetrust.uk . 

If the absence is due to illness, we must have a call or email on each subsequent day the student is absent. A specific reason must be given for the absence.

If your child is absent, we will:

• Telephone or text you on the first, and every subsequent day of absence, if we have not heard from you; however, it is your responsibility to contact us.
• If we are unable to contact parents by telephone, we will telephone emergency contact numbers, send letters home and a home visit may be made or a police welfare call in the interests of safeguarding.

Attendance Policy

Attendance Escalation Procedures

Lateness

Poor punctuality is not acceptable and can sometimes lead to irregular school attendance patterns. Good timekeeping is a vital life skill which will help children as they progress through their school life and out into the wider world. Pupils who arrive late disrupt lessons and, if a child misses the start of the day, they can feel unsettled and embarrassed and risk missing vital work and important messages from their class teacher.

The times of the start and close of the school day for all pupils at Garden Fields are:

• Gates open: 08:35
• Soft Start: 08:40-08:45
• Registration opens: 08:45
• Registration closes: 08:55
• End of the school day: 15:15

How we manage lateness:

• The school day starts at 08:40, with soft start, when children can begin to come into school.
• Registers are taken at 08:45.
• Children arriving after 08:45 are required to come into school via the school office to be registered.
• After 09:15, in accordance with the regulations, if your child arrives after this time, they will receive a mark that shows them to be on site – ‘U’, but this will not count as a present mark and it will mean that they have an unauthorised absence for that morning session.
• The school may contact parents / carers regarding punctuality concerns.
• From time-to-time, a member of school staff will undertake a ‘late gate’ check; greeting late arrivals at the main entrance to the school. If your child has a persistent lateness record, you may be asked to meet with a senior member of staff; however, you can approach us at any time if you are having difficulties getting your child to school on time.
• We expect parents and staff to encourage good punctuality by being good role models to our children and, as a school, we celebrate good class and individual punctuality. Unauthorised lateness could result in the school seeking advice and guidance from the Local Authority.  

Illness and Medical

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

If your child is not well enough to be in school, it is very important that we receive information as to the nature of their illness so that it can be appropriately recorded on our system; i.e. letting the office know that your child is ‘unwell’ with no further information, is insufficient. 

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 be asked to provide documentation for any absence to be classed as medical, otherwise your child will be marked in as ‘Late’ or as an unauthorised absence. If medical evidence is requested we will need to see one of the following: 

• Prescription
• Hospital letter
• Note from the GP
• Medicine with the prescribed sticker on it
• Appointment card
• Text from the GP / hospital / clinic / dentist etc.  

Going home from school unwell

We will contact you if your child is unwell and ask that they are collected from school as soon as possible. In light of this, please ensure that your contact details are kept up to date.

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 circumstance 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.

 Please fill out the Pupil Leave of Absence Form (also available from the School Office) to apply for leave of absence during term-time.