Reporting Absence and Lateness
Absences can be reported to the school office on 01737 555103 or via email office@keston.croydon.sch.uk
Please type 'Absence' in the subject line of the email.
Absence and Lateness
Good attendance and punctuality are essential to the children’s success at school. If days are regularly missed, then continuity of learning and progress are significantly hampered as children find it difficult to catch up with missed work.
The school takes continual absence very seriously and will follow up all non attendance. The Governors and the Government (DfE), monitor levels of attendance and a report is presented to the Local Education Authority on a termly basis.
Keston Primary School expectations:
- All children will arrive on time and be appropriately prepared for the day – continued lateness will be followed up by the school office or a senior member of staff.
- All parents are to sign in their child if arriving late on our Entry System in the school office.
- Health appointments should be made out of school hours whenever possible.
- Absences through illness should be reported to the school office by 9.30 am.
- Holidays are not to be taken in term time – due to a change in government regulations we are unable to authorise holiday absence even if your child has excellent attendance. Any absence for holidays will be unauthorised and if the attendance falls below an acceptable level may incur fines.
- A leave of absence in term time can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.
- If you take the decision to take an unauthorised leave of absence during term time please fill in a holiday absence form (linked below). This saves us trying to contact you every day to find out why your child is absent.
The school responds to non-attendance by:
- If a child is sick and unable to come to school then parents / carers are expected to telephone the school on the first day of absence and inform the office of the reason why.
- If we do not hear from home by 9.30am on the first day, then the attendance officer will attempt to make contact requesting an explanation for the absence. If we are unable to contact the family by phone then a letter will be sent home.
- If the child returns to school within seven days, on return to school, parents/carers are asked to explain the absence by speaking to the office staff, writing a short note or completing the absence form linked below.
- If we have not heard from parents or have not received a reply to our phone calls /letters within seven days, then we will notify the Education Welfare Officer of our concern.
- Attendance is monitored on a weekly basis. Where attendance has fallen below 95% parents will receive a letter notifying them of their child’s attendance level and reminding them of the necessity of attending school on a regular basis. Where a pattern of non-attendance is emerging the parent/carer is invited to visit school to work with school staff to help resolve the difficulties.
- If attendance does not improve parents will be invited to a meeting with the school’s Education Welfare Officer.
