Attendance
At Talbot Primary School we are very proud of our children and the achievements that they make, and we are always striving to improve our practice and your children’s school experiences.
One area we would like to improve is the overall attendance of our children. The majority of children at our school attend regularly, however, there are some children who would benefit from attending more.
Children have a better chance to achieve their best if they attend school regularly and Talbot Primary School strives to achieve excellent attendance. You may also be interested to know, as parents, that research tells us that adults who attended school regularly have become the most qualified, have better employment opportunities, are able to articulate themselves more fluently and confidently and live a longer, happier life.
Talbot Primary School strives for 96% attendance and the current government guidelines for attendance is 95%.
As shown in the table below, a few absences can quickly add up to a significant loss in learning time.
Hamwic Education Trust and BCP (our local authority), are committed to ensuring the highest possible attendance for every child and support us fully in this endeavour. Karen Allen, BCP Attendance Support Worker is allocated to Talbot and meets with our Attendance team on a regular basis.
At Talbot Primary School we endeavour to support you in any way we can to overcome any barriers that may prevent your child from coming into school.
We have several points of contact to support you to enable your child to be in school on a regular basis and these are as follows:
- Year Leaders and Class Teachers
- Mrs McDonald & Mrs Gregory - Pastoral Team
- Mr Brown – Pupil Engagement and Welfare Officer
- Mrs Louise McDonald - SENCO
- Mrs Ponsford – School Attendance Lead
- Mrs Curtis - School Attendance Champion
Please feel free to contact the school if you are struggling to get your child into school, we are here to support you.
Notifying the school if your child is absent
Please follow the procedures below if your child is going to be absent from school:
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Telephone the school office on 01202 513981 (option 1- child absence) before 9:30am on every day your child is absent (office is open from 8am - 4pm, please leave a message outside these times).
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Alternatively, you can email your childs absence to the school email: school@talbot.poole.sch.uk
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After your child has been absent from school for 3 or more days, we advise you to seek medical advice either from your GP or local pharmacy. You can email the school a screenshot of your childs GP appointment/medication prescribed and the absence will continue to be authorised.
Is my child too ill for school? - NHS https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Please do not use 'ClassDojo' for reporting a child’s absence as it is not monitored by the Attendance team.
Please do not book medical/dental appointments during term time. If a medical appointment is booked within school time, evidence of this appointment will need to be provided and the expectation is your child is only absent from school for the duration of the appointment. Please contact the school office to arrange the collection time for your child.
If we have any concerns surrounding your childs absence, we may conduct a Home Visit. Schools have a legal responsibility to know where your child is each day.
Monitoring attendance
Monitoring of attendance is an important part of our safeguarding procedures and is routinely monitored and reviewed on a regular basis.
- Attendance below 95%: class teacher/Year Leader will make contact with parent/carer.
- Attendance of 93% or below: parent/carer will receive an attendance monitoring letter
- Attendance of 91% or below: parent/carer invited to an Attendance Surgery (either by phone or in person).
When a child has attendance below 90%, they are classified as a Persistent Absentee and parents will be invited to a meeting to discuss how we can work together to improve attendance.
Talbot Primary School has a BCP Attendance Support Worker ; Mrs Ponsford, School Attendance Lead and a Pastoral Team who are able to give guidance and support to families.
Lateness
Punctuality is also important, as lateness disrupts learning not only for the child arriving late, but also for the children in their class. There are learning sessions between 8:40am and 9:00am which are an integral part of their education. If your child is late on a regular basis you may be invited in to meet with the School Attendance Lead to discuss and offer support.
8:25am school gates are opened
8:30am classroom doors and registers open
8:40am classroom doors and registers close. The bell is rung to signify the start of the school day. Children should be in their classroom and ready for learning by this time.
Children arriving at 8:40am and after are coded as late (L code) and are to arrive through the school office signing in on the electronic screen by parents / carers, giving a reason for lateness
8:45am school gates begin to close
9:00am children arriving after this time are coded as an unauthorised late (U code -please note this will affect your childs overall attendance).
Requests for absence during term time
A request of a leave of absence should be submitted to the school using the Leave of Absence Form, which can be found below, or a copy can be collected from the office foyer. The form must be completed and submitted to the school office at least two weeks prior to the date of absence requested.
A leave of absence request will be considered in a fair and consistent manner by the Headteacher, taking the reasoning behind the absence, whether the request was submitted at least two weeks in advance and the current attendance data for each pupil in question into account.
In line with current legislation, Headteachers are only allowed to grant leave of absence from school in exceptional circumstances. The following situations could be considered as exceptional circumstances:
- religious observance
- family wedding of a close relative
- an educational purpose; a fixed date sporting event or a music exam
Exceptional circumstances are rare, significant, unavoidable and short; ‘unavoidable’ should be taken to mean an event that could not be scheduled for another time.
On most occasions, the following scenarios cannot be considered ‘exceptional’:
- Family holidays or breaks
- Parents profession or place of work making it difficult to align school and work holidays
- Educational visits arranged by family during school time.
- Family birthdays or other events.
Following an application for term time absence, parents/carers will be notified of the Headteacher’s decision. If the circumstances are not considered to be exceptional, it is possible that a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) may be issued. FPN’s are requested in line with current guidance from the local authority and are issued on a ‘per parent, per child’ basis.
June 2024: Please be aware, changes will come into force for penalty notice fines issued after 19th August 2024. We will update you with further information in due course.
Common child illnesses
High Temperatures
Children are to remain at home until their temperature is normal and they are well in themselves.
Diarrhoea and/or vomiting
A child should be 48 hours clear from the last episode of diarrhoea and/or vomiting.
Coughs and colds
We are happy for a child to attend school with a cough or cold providing the child is well in themselves and they do not have a high temperature.
If they have a high temperature of 38 degrees or above the recommendation is that they should remain home until the temperature is normal.
Impetigo
A child with impetigo can return to school 48 hours after treatment has started.
Chicken Pox
A child with chicken pox should remain at home until their last blister has crusted over.
This is usually about 5 days after the spots first appeared.
Conjunctivitis
A child can attend school with conjunctivitis providing the eye has been treated accordingly and your child is not unwell.
Hand, Foot and Mouth
Keep your child off school whilst they are unwell, as soon as they feel better, they can return to school and there is no need to wait for the blisters to heal.
Scarlet Fever
If you or your child has scarlet fever, stay away from school for 24 hours after you take the 1st dose of antibiotics.
Please visit the NHS links below for further information on health conditions:
Is my child too ill for school? - NHS https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Late Pick Up Information