Absence - Illness
If your child is going to be absent from school due to illness, then please inform the 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.
Medication
We will administer prescribed medication to children if: (a) They are handed in to the office with clear written instructions. We have to keep these written instructions with our "logbook". Instructions on the bottle are not enough. (b) The medicine is labelled with the child's name and dose. (c) The timing of the dose is not critical. (d) Parents should collect medicines from the office at the end of the school day.
We have to dispense all medicines centrally; this has to been done at playtime or lunch time. Where medicine has to be given four times a day, it would be helpful if you gave one dose before school and two after, leaving us to give one only in the middle of the day.
The above does not apply to asthma inhalers which often need to be kept with the child. Parents need to complete our Asthma form to enable this. It is available from the school office. Parents of children with asthma should encourage them to learn to take responsibility for their own medication.
*Sickness / Diarrhoea - Please keep your child off school for 48 hours*
Please call 01726 822568 or email hello@ststephenchurchtown.org.uk
Absence - Holidays
If you are taking your child out of school for a holiday, or any other event, then a holiday request form must be filled in prior to the absence. The form can be found on our website under 'Forms & Important Documents' or alternatively they can be obtained from the 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.
Absence - Medical appointments
If you need to take your child out of school for any length of time to attend a medical appointment, then 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.
Attendance
Over the last few years the attendance at St Stephen Churchtown Academy has been improving and persistent absenteeism has been falling significantly.
From September 2015, a new challenge is now facing each and every school with the reduction of the threshold for persistent absenteeism now set at 10%, reducing from 15% in previous years. This amounts to 19 school days in a year. This is a very tight target and is linked to holidays in term time and indiscriminate days off.
Additionally, the guidance for issuing penalty notices for unauthorized absence has been revised. It now states that:
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 authorized.
Or
Where a pupil arrives persistently late.
The minimum level of absence necessary is 10 or more school sessions (5 days) in any 100 day period.
Prosecution under the Education Act should be considered as an alternative where 20 or more sessions of unauthorised absence occur.
It is therefore essential that all requests for ‘leave of absence’ are made well in advance to enable time to check reasons, evidence and previous attendance information. Do not assume that authorisation will be given. School term dates are published well in advance to enable parents to make plans for holidays out of school time. These can be found either on the school website homepage or Cornwall Council website.
This guidance is intended to be used in tackling parentally condoned absence where it is reasonable to expect that a parent can ensure the child’s regular attendance but are not willing to take responsibility for doing so.
Please help us and your child by ensuring that their attendance remains above 95%
ALL FORMS FOR MEDICAL, HOLIDAY & EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES FORMS CAN BE FOUND UNDER THE PARENT/FORM SECTION & IN THE SCHOOL OFFICE
