Attendance and Leave of Absence

Why regular attendance and Punctuality is so important

Help and support

School staff are committed to working with parents to ensure any problems are dealt with straight away in order for pupils to feel happy and safe and achieve to the best of their ability. If parents have any concerns relating to attendance or lateness that they wish to discuss, please contact the Pastoral Team.

Reporting absence

Illness

On the first day of absence you will need to contact school to report the reason for absence. Contact the school by accessing the Studybugs App or Studybugs Online (if you have not yet registered, the details of how to are below). If you are not able to access Studybugs, please speak to the Pastoral Team who can help you to set this up (02476 221920 option 1), or you can email the team at to attendance@frederickbirdacademy.org. As non-attendance is a Safeguarding concern, the Attendance Officer will follow up any unreported absences with a phone call or home visit and it is vital that you respond.

Medical appointments

We would expect any routine dental or optician’s appointments to be made out of school time. If your child has an unavoidable medical appointment, please bring the appointment letter as soon as you receive it. Your child should attend school until you need to collect them for the appointment.

Holidays

Leave of absence during term time will not be authorised and should be arranged during the school holidays. Where family holidays are taken without the permission of the school, parents can be given a Penalty Notice (a fine).

School Gates

Our school gates are open from 8:30am and are closed promptly at 8:40am every morning. Your child’s school day starts at 8:45am in the classroom when registers are taken.

Studybugs

Attendance is one of the priorities we want to improve at Clifford Bridge, we know from research how time missed from school can impact the learning outcomes and at Clifford Bridge we want to help the children to achieve their potential in all areas. So with your help we are asking you all to download the Studybugs app, any absence MUST be reported through this app.

You can download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play. The app is easy to use and will also offer guidance from the NHS as to whether the illness you report requires your child to be off school. The app will also automatically message you if we have not received notification of your child’s illness at
school by 10am.

We look forward to your co-operation in using this new method of communication for reporting your child’s absence. We also want to reassure you that all the data shared on the app will be kept secure and confidential between the app and the school.

Studybugs Website

Every day in school makes a difference to your child’s future …

Parents/ Carers are expected to:

Ensure that their child attends school regularly, punctually and ready to learn.
Inform the school of the reason for any absence by phone call/ Study Bugs on the first morning and each day, of any absence, and in advance if possible.
Avoid making medical appointments during school hours whenever possible. This includes opticians, dentists, doctors and orthodontist appointments. On the rare occasions when an appointment in school hours is unavoidable, parents/carers will make arrangements to collect their child from school and return them to school as soon as possible.
Not arrange family holidays or visits during term time.
Only request leave of absence in exceptional circumstances and will be made at least two weeks in advance using the form available from the school office

Children are expected to:

Attend school on time every day
Attend every lesson on time each day
If arriving after the start of the school day, arrive with their parent/ carer to sign in at the main school reception, giving a reason for lateness

Schools are expected to:

Have a clear school attendance policy on the school website which all staff, children and parents understand.
Develop and maintain a whole school culture that promotes the benefits of good attendance.
Accurately complete admission and attendance registers.
Have robust daily processes to follow up absence.
Have a dedicated Senior Leader with overall responsibility for championing and improving attendance.