Attendance

Good attendance and punctuality are vital.
Please notify the school in writing or by telephone if your child is absent or late. There is an answering machine in the main office so a message can be left at any time.
A verbal message from a child is not acceptable.
We will follow up any unexplained absence or lateness with a phone call and/or a letter.
Punctuality and absences are regularly monitored by the school’s Educational Welfare Officer. School attendance is a legal requirement which is enforced by Lewisham Council - Click here for further information. 
When a child is obviously unwell, the best place to be is at home with an adult. A sick child will be very unhappy at school and unable to cope with schoolwork. If the illness is infectious, other children and teachers may also become ill, so the child must be kept at home.
Should your child have an infectious illness, please tell us as soon as the doctor has confirmed.
If your child needs to leave school during the day, please let us know in writing. Unless we have contact from the parent, the child will not be allowed to leave the school premises.

Remember to be punctual!

Children need to be in school by 8.50am, ready to start at 9.00am
Children arriving after 9.00am must report to the school office to sign in and provide reason for lateness.
If your child is regularly late, they lose valuable learning time and disrupt their day. It is part of their personal development and well being that they are in school and on time.
At the end of the school day, children must be collected on time at 3.15pm.
Children must also be collected promptly when after-school clubs finish.

Please Note

  • The local authority are monitoring unauthorised absence
  • Holidays must not be taken during school term time
  • The Head Teacher will not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Head Teachers will determine the number of school days a child can be away from school, if the leave is granted.
  • Penalty notices (fines) will be issued by the Local Authority to each parent who fails to ensure their child’s regular attendance at school. (£60 within 21 days or £120 within 28 days.)
 

Time out for holidays - see our attendance policy for more information

  • The school will not authorise any time out for family holidays. Only at the discretion of the school and in exceptional circumstances, may leave be granted but parents must put their request in writing. If the absence is for an extended period, the school may seek to off-roll the pupil and the parents will need to apply for re-admittance to the school.
  • Where possible, all medical appointments must be made out of school time.
  • Authorisation for absence for religious purposes will be considered on request. The special circumstances code is to be used at the discretion of the school, e.g. death in the family, moving house etc. All requests for absence must be discussed with the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher before authorisation.