Attendance

Why is Regular School Attendance so Important?

Chilham St Mary’s works closely with children and parents in connection with attendance so that each child can achieve their full potential. By law, all children of compulsory school age (five to 16) must receive a suitable full-time education.

Once your child is registered at school, you are legally responsible for making sure that they attend regularly. If your child fails to do so, you risk getting a penalty notice or being prosecuted. You also need to think about the negative impact upon the following:

• their friendships
• their learning
• their self-esteem and confidence.

Chilham St Mary’s monitors the attendance of every child in the school and in partnership with Kent County Council’s School Liaison Officer, we will work and support those children and their families who are not attending school regularly without sufficient reason. The minimum expected level of attendance is 96%.

Whilst 90% attendance may sound ok, it means that your child actually misses:

• nearly four weeks every school year
• one half day each week
• over one school year in a school career

Please see below for Chilham St Mary’s Attendance Policy.

Please see below for KCC Penalty Notices Code of Conduct (to be read in conjunction with the Attendance policy).

Please see below to visit Kent County Council’s website for further information regarding school attendance.

Timekeeping

Timekeeping is also important in the education of your child. If your child is persistently late then they are missing out on important learning opportunities at the start of the lesson.

The gates open at 8.35am and children can play under the supervision of staff until 8.45am, when they go indoors. All children must be in school by 8.50am so that they are in class ready for registration at 8.55am. Children arriving after this time must be signed in at the school office by the parent/carer and a reason provided for the late arrival.

The school day finishes at 3.15pm, and children must be collected promptly. We understand that on occasion parents/carers may be delayed, and a telephone call to the school office is requested where possible to advise staff and to ensure we can reassure your child that somebody is on their way.

Sickness NHS Guidelines

Click here Sickness NHS Guidelines

Not every illness needs to keep your child from school. If you keep your child away from school, be sure to inform the school on the first day of their absence.

Use common sense when deciding whether or not your child is too ill to attend school. Ask yourself the following questions.

• Is your child well enough to do the activities of the school day? If not, keep your child at home.
• Does your child have a condition that could be passed on to other children or school staff? If so, keep your child at home.

Common conditions

If your child is ill, it’s likely to be due to one of a few minor health conditions.

Whether you send your child to school will depend on how severe you think the illness is. This guidance can help you make that judgement.

Remember: if you’re concerned about your child’s health, consult a health professional.

• Cough and cold. A child with a minor cough or cold may attend school. If the cold is accompanied by a raised temperature, shivers or drowsiness, the child should stay off school, visit the GP and return to school 24 hours after they start to feel better. If your child has a more severe and long-lasting cough, consult your GP. They can give guidance on whether the child should stay off school. 
• Rash. Rashes can be the first sign of many infectious illnesses, such as chickenpox and measles. Children with these conditions shouldn’t attend school. If your child has a rash, check with your GP or practice nurse before sending them to school.
• Vomiting and diarrhoea. Children with these conditions should be kept off school. They can return 48 hours after their symptoms disappear. Most cases of vomiting or diarrhoea get better without treatment, but if symptoms persist, consult your GP. 
• Conjuctivitis.  Guidance from Public Health England (PHE) (the Health Protection Agency) states that it is not necessary to exclude a child from school or from childcare if they have infective conjunctivitis, unless there is an outbreak of several cases. 
• Tonsillitis.  Guidance from Public Health England (PHE) (the Health Protection Agency) states that it is not necessary to exclude a child from school or from childcare.  There are many causes, but most cases are due to viruses and do not need an antibiotic.
• Headlice. Guidance from Public Health England (PHE) (the Health Protection Agency) states that it is not necessary to exclude a child from school however treatment is recommended where live lice have been seen to prevent an outbreak in school.
• Impetigo. Your child cannot attend school until lesions are crusted and healed, or 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment. Antibiotic treatment speeds healing and reduces the infectious period 

  It’s important to inform the school if your child is going to be absent. On the first day of your child’s illness, telephone the school to tell them that your child will be staying at home. The school may ask about the nature of the illness and how long you expect the absence to last.

If it becomes clear that your child will be away for longer than expected, phone the school as soon as possible to explain this.

 

                                                                                              School telephone number: 01227 730442