Attendance

Attendance Questions

What are the times of the school day?

At Purbrook Infant School, classroom doors open at 8.45am for all children, with registration taking place at 8.55am.

Children arriving after 8.55am will be marked as late. If your child arrives after 9.25am, this will be recorded as late after registration has closed.

What should I do if my child is unwell?

If your child is too ill to attend school, please inform the school office via Study bugs or leaving a message on the answerphone (02392610761)  on the first day of absence, as early as possible, and before 9.00am. Please provide a reason for your child's absence.

If your child is absent and no reason has been provided, the school office may contact you to establish the reason for their absence.

Coughs and common colds do not always mean that your child needs to stay at home. If you are unsure whether your child should attend school, please seek appropriate advice and follow current public health guidance.

When should my child return to school?

If your child has had sickness (vomiting) or diarrhoea, they should remain at home until 48 hours after the last episode. This helps to prevent the spread of infection and keep our school community safe.

For other contagious illnesses, please contact the school office if you are unsure when your child can return to school. We will advise you in line with current health guidance.

What about medical appointments?

Wherever possible, we ask parents and carers to arrange routine medical and dental appointments outside school hours to minimise disruption to your child’s learning.

We understand that this is not always possible, particularly for hospital appointments. If your child needs to attend an appointment during the school day, please inform the school office in advance and, where possible, provide evidence of the appointment, such as an appointment card or letter.

Please try to ensure your child attends school before or after the appointment wherever possible, so they do not miss any more learning time than necessary.

How can I request time off for other absences?

At Purbrook Infant School, the Headteacher can only authorise absence from school in exceptional circumstances. Requests for holidays during term time will not normally be authorised and may result in a penalty notice in line with current statutory guidance.

If you believe there are exceptional circumstances requiring your child to be absent from school, please complete an absence request form, explaining the reasons for the request and providing any relevant supporting evidence. The request will be considered by the Headteacher.

Please note that submitting a request does not guarantee that the absence will be authorised. If your request is declined and your child is absent on the requested dates, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.

How does the school monitor attendance?

In circumstances where a child’s attendance falls below 95% (approximately 3 days off per term), we monitor attendance to ensure that it is improved over time. In cases where attendance falls below 90% (6 days off per term), we will contact you to inform you of our concerns and may ask you to come in and discuss how attendance can improve in the future.

In some cases, the headteacher may request any future absence is supported by evidence (such as a doctors note or appointment card).

Does the school issue fines?

In common with other schools in the locality, including Purbrook Infant school, Fixed Penalty Notices may be issued by Hampshire County Council to families where a child has missed at least 5 days of school in a ten week period without authorisation.

Penalty Notices incur a fine of £80 per parent, per child. This means a family of three children with two parents missing school for a holiday cold lead to a combined fine of £480 for the family.

 Attendance Policy

Link to Local leaflet