Absence Procedures

If a child is absent from school the parent/carer must follow the following procedures:  

· Contact the school on the first day of absence before 9.30 am. The school has an answer phone available to leave a message. If nobody is available to take your call, you can email admin@gbjs.co.uk or call into school personally and speak to the office staff. 

· Contact the school on every further day of absence, again before 9.30am  

· Ensure that your child returns to school as soon as possible and provide any medical evidence if requested to support the absence.  

If your child is absent, we will:  

· Telephone you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you; however, it is your responsibility to contact us  

· Write to you if your child’s attendance is below 95%  

· Invite you in to school to discuss the situation with our School Attendance Officer, Child and Family Support Worker or Headteacher if absences persist  

· Refer the matter to the Local Authority for relevant sanctions if attendance deteriorates following the above actions  

First day calling:  

The school operates a first day response to absence: we will call you if we have not heard from you in the first instance. If we are unable to make contact with parents/carers by telephone; we will telephone emergency contact numbers, send letters home and a home visit may be made in the interests of safeguarding. A referral will be made to Local Authority if no contact has been made with parent/carers by the 10th day of absence, at which point your child will be considered Missing from Education. 

Term Time Holidays: 

There is no entitlement for you to take your child on holiday during term time. You can be fined for taking your child on holiday during term time without consent from the school. 
  
Absence during term time should be avoided because children can fall behind with their work and may find it difficult to integrate. 
  
An application for leave must be made in writing to the school, detailing the exceptional circumstances. 
  
The headteacher must be satisfied the circumstances warrant the granting of leave. Leave of absence may not be granted during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. They will determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the leave is granted. 
  
If you do not apply for leave of absence in advance, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised. If your child is away for longer than was agreed, any extra time is recorded as unauthorised. 

Exceptional circumstances may include: 

• An immediate family member is terminally/critically ill; 

• Families who have been through a traumatic or acrimonious divorce; 

• Families where circumstances are known to the school and where it may be beneficial for them to take time out together. 

• Service personnel where a parent/carer has just returned from a tour of duty and needs time with the family;