Attendance and Medical Information

Children are required to attend school on time.

Registration starts at 8.50am prompt and closes at 9.00am. Afternoon registration starts at 1.00pm for KS1 and 1.15pm for KS2 pupils.

Pupils who are late disrupt their own education and that of others.  Recurrent patterns of lateness or persistent lateness can be construed as non-attendance and may warrant intervention by the of Children, Families and Learning Support Worker  and/or Education Welfare Officer. Parents/carers have a legal responsibility to ensure that their child arrives on time for school and have a responsibility to their children to ensure they get the best start to a school day by at least being on time.

St Matthew’s Primary School actively discourages lateness and will monitor patterns of recurrent lateness which could provide grounds for prosecution. All late pupils arriving after close of registers (and their parents, if parents are bringing their children to school) must report to the office to complete the late book. The time of arrival and a reason for the lateness will be recorded. 

Request for Leave of Absence during term time must be made in advance (14 days notice where possible).  Requests must be made to the Headteacher using the Leave of Absence due to Exceptional Circumstances form.

St Matthew’s Primary School will not authorise leave of absence for holidays during term time. Parents/carers do not have this right therefore holidays must be taken during school holiday periods.

The Headteacher can only give permission for term time leave in exceptional circumstances.

Please note that in exceptional circumstances, where a request is made and is authorised, it will only be on the understanding that the following evidence may be requested and, where requested, is provided:

• Any required trip abroad – proof of flight details, including a proposed date of return.  If flights have to be changed by an airline which directly affect the return date, then proof of this will also be required.

A request for term time leave should be made using the request form to the Headteacher 14 days prior to the intended absence and a decision will be made based on individual circumstances. (The request form can be collected from the school office.) St Matthew’s Primary School will not authorise any exceptional leave in the month of May as this is a crucial time for school examinations.

Failure to notify St Matthew’s Primary School of a reason for absence will result in the matter being passed to the Education Welfare Officer which may lead to a request for a fixed penalty notice of £60.00 per parent/carer per child

Fixed penalty notices will be issued where more than four consecutive days unauthorised absence has occurred and parents have refused to attend the school’s Attendance Awareness Course. 

Any child arriving at school after their gate has closed will have missed the morning registration mark and must be signed in by their parent or carer at the school office using the touch screen.

Should a child have to leave school during school hours for an emergency or unavoidable medical appointment, parents must inform the school office or class teacher.

Children leaving school during the school day must be signed out at the school office by their parent or carer, using the touch screen. 

Parents and carers are asked most earnestly not to arrange these during school sessions, except in cases of urgency. An absence from school impacts on your child's learning.

If a child does have to attend an appointment, they should ordinarily be in school before and after the appointment.  

The school can only administer medication that has been prescribed by a doctor.  If your child requires medication when they are in school please complete a form for parental agreement for school to administer medicine. 

All medicine must be clearly named and given into the school office by the parent or carer.

Children with ongoing medical needs will have a care plan put in place.