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In order for children to learn and thrive, regular school attendance is extremely important. It gives you child the best opportunity to learn, succeed and develop the essential skills for their future. Children at our school want to come to school because:
Not all illnesses require your child to take time off school.
The table below shows some common illnesses and whether your child should attend school if they have the illness. If your child is still ok to come into school, it is important that you still let us know if your child has any of the illnesses listed in the table below.
| Illness | Should my child still come to school? |
|---|---|
| Conjunctivitis | Yes. |
| Hand, Foot and Mouth | Yes. |
| Head Lice | Yes. |
| Vomiting | Yes, but only if the vomiting has happened once. |
| Slapped Cheek | Yes. |
| Threadworms | Yes. |
| Diarrhoea and Vomiting | No. Your child should remain off school for 48 hours from the last episode. |
| Scarlet Fever | No. Your child should remain off school until 24 hours after starting antibiotics. |
| Tonsillitis | Yes. |
| Chicken Pox | No. Your child can return when all spots are crusted over. |
| Impetigo | No. Your child can return when lesions are crusted and healed or 48 hours after starting antibiotics. |
If your child is not well enough to attend school please call the school office on 01922 710164, specifying the reason for the absence as soon as possible. If the absence lasts longer than one day, you will need to call the school office on each day of the absence.
All children should aim for 100% attendance and a minimum of 97% attendance is expected. If attendance falls below this, it can have a significant impact on the number of lessons missed which impacts on progress and achievement.
The table below shows our approach to dealing with attendance that falls below the expected level.
| Attendance level | What happens? |
|---|---|
| Attendance below 97% |
Child identified by the pastoral team and monitored closely. Class teacher sends Dojo notifying home of fall in attendance. |
| Attendance below 95% |
Child identified by the pastoral team and monitored closely. Medical evidence required to authorise absence by illness. Meeting at school with pastoral lead. Support plan to improve attendance agreed. |
| Attendance below 93% |
Child identified by the pastoral team and monitored closely. Medical evidence required to authorise absence by illness. Meeting at school with pastoral lead. Support plan adapted to improve attendance as at risk of becoming classified of as persistent absence. |
| Attendance below 90% |
Child now categorised as persistent absence. Attendance monitored daily. Medical evidence required to authorise absence by illness. Meeting at school with pastoral lead and Walsall Council's attendance officer to discuss case and next steps. |
