If your child is going to be absent from school for any reason, please contact the school on the first day of absence to notify us of the reason. If you telephone before school there is a voicemail system that can record your message.
To make it easier for parents to report absence the school has a mobile phone so that information about absence can be texted - the number to text is 470999. Please ensure you text your child’s name and the reason for the absence so that this can be recorded on the register.
If the school is not informed that a child is absent the register records the absence as unauthorised.
We expect all children to arrive at school at 8:50 am as teaching and learning begin promptly and your child may miss a vital part of the lesson.
If your child's attendance drops below 85% we will send out a standard letter to inform you of this and that the Education Liaison Officer will be informed should it drop below 80%. We will also send a letter out to anyone who is persistently late (15% or above) in order that you have advance notice to improve the situation before the involvement of the Education Liaison Officers.
Schools are required to inform the Department of Education and Children of any children who are persistently late or whose attendance level drops below 80% so that absence levels can be investigated by the Education Liaison Officers.
If your child needs to be excused from a PE lesson or swimming lesson, written notification is required before the lesson is to take place.
Please also inform school in advance if your child has a medical appointment which requires them to be absent for any part of the day.
HOLIDAYS DURING TERM TIME
Leave of absence for holidays taken during school time is discouraged. In exceptional circumstances the Headteacher may authorise up to a maximum of 10 school days per year. Notification must be received in writing/email in advance of the start of the holiday so that a decision can be made as to whether this is to be authorised.
At Anagh Coar Primary School we actively discourage parents from withdrawing pupils from school during term time to avoid disrupting their learning.
Parents of pupils whose attendance figures are low and/or those whose children who have significant additional learning needs should think carefully before requesting a term time holiday.
They should consider the negative impact of withdrawing their son or daughter from education and the potential for their child to make less progress than might be expected if their learning had not been disrupted.
It is the Department of Education and Children’s policy to record any absences for holidays that exceed the ten days as unauthorised on the school register.
The school asks that wherever possible family holidays are booked during school holidays to avoid disrupting children’s learning.