When a child has a day off we must be notified by a parent or carer as to why.  This can be a note or a telephone call.  A child returning to school after an absence will be marked as unauthorised absence until we receive a valid explanation.

• If your child is saying they do not feel well and you are unsure about whether it warrants a day off please send them to school.  If they are truly ill we will ring you. 
• Use common sense when deciding whether or not your child is too ill to attend school. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is my child well enough to do the activities of the school day?
2. Does my child have a condition that could be passed on to other children or school staff?
3. Would I take a day off work if I had this condition?

• Please ensure medical and dental appointments are booked after school or in holiday time. We appreciate sometimes urgent appointments must be made in school time. If your child has to have a medical or dental appointment in school time please do your best to have it after 2pm and then your child can have their registration mark for the afternoon before you pick them up. If it needs to be a morning appointment please try and bring them to school first to get their mark and then return them to school afterwards.

Every half-day absence from school has to be classified by the school as either AUTHORISED or UNAUTHORISED. This is why information about the cause of any absence is always required.

Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for a good reason like illness (where a child is too ill to attend school) medical/dental appointments which unavoidably fall in school time, emergencies or other unavoidable cause. The Department for Education guidance states "If the authenticity of illness is in doubt, schools can request parents to provide medical evidence to support illness. Schools can record the absence as unauthorised if not satisfied of the authenticity of the illness but should advise parents of their intention. Medical evidence can take the form of prescriptions, appointment cards, etc. rather than doctors’ notes."

Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no 'leave' has been given. This type of absence can lead to the Authority using sanctions and/or legal proceedings.