If your child is ill, please notify the school office on 01329 281206 using our dedicated absence line or via the Studybugs app as early as possible on the morning of the absence and at the latest, before 9.00am.

You must inform us every day that your child will be absent.

Please let us know the type of illness that your child has that prevents them attending. Please refer to the NHS Unwell Child poster below to check if a day off school is required. If your child requires medication during the school day, please complete a form giving permission to our trained staff to administer the medicine.

The school operates a rolling registration from 8:35 allowing a soft start for pupils to arrive up to 10 minutes before the official start of the school day at 8.45am when all pupils are expected to be in school and ready to learn.

Where possible, doctors and dentists appointments are to be made outside of school hours or during school holidays. You will be asked for proof of appointment eg. Appointment text message or hospital letter.

Regular attendance at school has a huge effect on progress and attainment. Children who have an extended holiday away from school or repeatedly have odd days off school miss important parts of teaching and can struggle to make this up. Leave of absence will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Head Teacher.

Please be aware that any exceptional reason for leave of absence must be given in writing using the leave of absence form below or obtained from the school office.

As set down by the Department for Education, penalty notices can be issued for late or unauthorised absence. In Hampshire, Penalty Notices are issued when a pupil has had 10 or more half day sessions (equivalent to five school days) of unauthorised absence, in any 10 week school period; or one or more unauthorised absences during an assessment or test (where the dates have been published).

Schools are required by law to code the school attendance registers correctly.  School registers are legal documents and must be completely accurate. It is a parents legal responsibility to ensure that their child is in school.

Please click below for HCC guidance for parent/carers

Attendance guidance for parents/carers | Hampshire County Council (hants.gov.uk)

Why is high attendance important to my child's education?

As a parent/carer you want the best for your children. Having a good education is an important factor in opening up more opportunities in adult life. Did you know that:

• a child who is absent a day of school per week misses an equivalent of two years of their school life
• 90% of young people with absence rates below 85% fail to achieve five or more good grades of GCSE and around one third achieve no GCSEs at all
• poor examination results limit young people’s options and poor attendance suggests to colleges and employers that these students are unreliable
• poor school attendance is also closely associated with crime a quarter of school age offenders have truanted repeatedly
• at least 1 million children take at least one half day off a year without permission
• 7.5 million school days are missed each year through unauthorised absence

GCSEs may seem a long way off for you and your child but all absence at any stage leads to gaps in your child’s learning. This in turn can:

• mean that they fall behind in work
• affect their motivation
• affect their enjoyment of learning
• lead to poor behaviour
• affect their desire to attend school regularly affect their confidence in school
• mean they miss out on the social life of school and extra curricular opportunities and experiences
• affect their ability to have or keep friendships

Current Guidance from UK Health Security - October 2023

Children and young people (aged 18 years and under) who have symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19

Respiratory infections are common in children and young people, particularly during the winter months. Symptoms can be caused by several respiratory infections including the common cold, COVID-19 and RSV.

For most children and young people, these illnesses will not be serious, and they will soon recover following rest and plenty of fluids.

Very few children and young people with respiratory infections become seriously unwell. This is also true for children and young people with long-term conditions. Some children under 2, especially those born prematurely or with a heart condition, can be more seriously unwell from RSV.

Attending education is hugely important for children and young people’s health and their future.

When children and young people with symptoms should stay at home and when they can return to education

Children and young people with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend their education setting.

Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people, where they can. They can go back to school, college or childcare, and resume normal activities when they no longer have a high temperature and they are well enough to attend.

All children and young people with respiratory symptoms should be encouraged to cover their mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when coughing and/or sneezing and to wash their hands after using or disposing of tissues.

It can be difficult to know when to seek help if your child is unwell. If you are worried about your child, especially if they are aged under 2 years old, then you should seek medical help.

What to do if you have a positive COVID-19 test result

Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people

If you have a positive COVID-19 test result, it is very likely that you have COVID-19 even if you do not have any symptoms. You can pass on the infection to others, even if you have no symptoms.

Most people with COVID-19 will no longer be infectious to others after 5 days. If you have a positive COVID-19 test result, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days after the day you took your test. There is different advice for children and young people aged 18 and under.

During this period there are actions you can take to reduce the risk of passing COVID-19 on to others.

Try to work from home if you can. If you are unable to work from home, talk to your employer about options available to you.

If you have been asked to attend a medical or dental appointment in person, contact your healthcare provider and let them know about your positive test result.

You may wish to ask friends, family or neighbours to get food and other essentials for you.

At the end of this period, if you have a high temperature or feel unwell, try to follow this advice until you feel well enough to resume normal activities and you no longer have a high temperature if you had one.

Although most people will no longer be infectious to others after 5 days, some people may be infectious to other people for up to 10 days from the start of their infection. You should avoid meeting people at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell from COVID-19, especially those whose immune system means that they are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, despite vaccination, for 10 days after the day you took your test.

If you leave your home

If you leave your home during the 5 days after your positive test result the following steps will reduce the chance of passing on COVID-19 to others:

• wear a well-fitting face covering made with multiple layers or a surgical face mask
• avoid crowded places such as public transport, large social gatherings, or anywhere that is enclosed or poorly ventilated
• take any exercise outdoors in places where you will not have close contact with other people
• cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze; wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose and before you eat or handle food; avoid touching your face

Reduce the spread of infection in your household

While you are infectious there is a high risk of passing your infection to others in your household. These are simple things you can do to help prevent the spread:

• try to keep your distance from people you live with
• in shared areas wear a well-fitting face covering made with multiple layers or a surgical face mask, especially if you live with people whose immune system means that they are at higher risk of serious illness, despite vaccination
• ventilate rooms you have been in by opening windows and leaving them open for at least 10 minutes after you have left the room
• wash your hands regularly and cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
• regularly clean frequently touched surfaces, such as door handles and remote controls, and shared areas such as kitchens and bathrooms
• advise anyone that does need to come into your home that you have a positive test result, so they can take precautions to protect themselves such as wearing a well-fitting face covering or a surgical face mask, keeping their distance if they can, and washing their hands regularly

GermDefence is a website that can help you identify simple ways to protect yourself and others in your household from COVID-19 and other viruses. People who use GermDefence are less likely to catch flu and other infections and are less likely to spread them at home.

What to do if you are a close contact of someone who has had a positive test result for COVID-19

People who live in the same household as someone with COVID-19 are at the highest risk of becoming infected because they are most likely to have prolonged close contact. People who stayed overnight in the household of someone with COVID-19 while they were infectious are also at high risk.

If you are a household or overnight contact of someone who has had a positive COVID -19 test result it can take up to 10 days for your infection to develop. It is possible to pass on COVID-19 to others, even if you have no symptoms.

You can reduce the risk to other people by taking the following steps:

• avoid contact with anyone you know who is at higher risk of becoming severely unwell if they are infected with COVID-19, especially those whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, despite vaccination
• limit close contact with other people outside your household, especially in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces
• wear a well-fitting face covering made with multiple layers or a surgical face mask if you do need to have close contact with other people, or you are in a crowded place
• wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitiser

If you develop symptoms of a respiratory infection try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people and follow the guidance for people with symptoms.

If you are a contact of someone with COVID-19 but do not live with them or did not stay in their household overnight, you are at lower risk of becoming infected. There is guidance on protecting yourself and others in living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19.

Children and young people aged 18 years and under who have a positive test result

It is not recommended that children and young people are tested for COVID-19 unless directed to by a health professional.

If a child or young person has a positive COVID-19 test result they should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test, if they can. After 3 days, if they feel well and do not have a high temperature, the risk of passing the infection on to others is much lower. This is because children and young people tend to be infectious to other people for less time than adults.

Children and young people who usually go to school, college or childcare and who live with someone who has a positive COVID-19 test result should continue to attend as normal.