If your child is going to be absent from school due to illness, then please inform the school office before 9am in the morning and let us know why your child is going to be absent and when you expect them to return. If your child is off for more than one day, we must still be informed each day of your child's absence until they return to school.
Please note in instances of sickness and/or diarrhoea, please keep your child off school for 48 hours, timed from the last occurrence.
Please phone us on 01726 850397 (answerphone 24 hours) as soon as possible to tell us why your child is absent and when you expect them to return.
Please leave a message on each day of your child's absence telling us:
1. Your child's name
2. Class
3. Why they are absent (not just unwell)
4. When you expect them to return
Medication
The school cannot hold or administer any medication that has not been prescribed by a doctor. If your child requires prescribed medication whilst attending school, please bring the medicine to the school office where you will be asked to complete a form. If your child requires un-prescribed medicine you can come to the school office at the appropriate time and administer the medicine yourself.
Holidays
If you are taking your child out of school for a holiday, or any other event, then an Exceptional Circumstance Leave Request Notice to Parents/Carers form must be completed prior to the absence. The form can be obtained from the school office.
Please note that it is not school policy to authorise any holiday during the school term. Absences will be recorded as 'unauthorised' on the register.
Medical Appointments
If you need to take your child out of school for any length of time to attend a medical appointment, the school office must be notified in advance. We also ask to see the letter confirming the date and time of the medical appointment. Please ensure that, where possible, medical appointments are made outside of school time.
The Department of Education no longer allows Headteachers to grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. If leave is not authorised and you nevertheless withdraw your child from school, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised absence.
Penalty Notices can only be issued in cases where a pupil of compulsory school age has been absent from school and the absence has not been authorised on when a pupil arrives persistently late.
It is therefore essential that all request for 'leave of absence' are made well in advance to enable time to check reason, evidence and previous attendance information. School term dates are published well in advance to enable parent's/carer's to make plans for holiday's out of school time. These can be found on the school website.
Please see below Cornwall Education Trusts School Attendance Policy.