Our Absence Procedures

Our Absence Procedures are there to keep children safe - safeguarding children is our number one priority at Our Lady and St. Patrick's. 

This includes knowing where children are if they are not in school, along with the reasons for this.  We have robust procedures in place to ensure we always know why children are absent from school  (see our 'First Day Calling' procedures, below).

Please do send your child into school even if you're running late - we'd much rather they come in 'late' than not at all! 

If you are experiencing any difficulty in getting your child into school, or have any issues with school attendance in general, please just let us know and we will do all we can to support you with this.

Notifying us of a Child's Absence from School

If your child is going to be absent from school, it is vital that you inform us, either through a message at the office or via telephone, on (01900) 812582. 
 

We have an answering machine which will allow you to leave messages outside of the school day. We should always hear from you by 9.00am at the latest.

First-Day Calling Procedures

If a child is absent from school without explanation, we will follow a protocol which involves texting and phoning parents / carers and any other emergency contacts we have on file. We should have three contact numbers for all children, so we can always get in touch.

If we still do not have any response or reason for absence, the final step we will take is a home visit and, if necessary, we will ask the Police to call to the house to carry out a welfare check. All of this will happen before the end of the school day on the first day of absence, if we do not know why a child is absent.

Please see our 'First-Day Calling Procedures' below, for more information about this.

Our First-Day Calling Procedures

The importance of being on time for school

⏰ It's amazing how being just FIVE MINUTES late for school adds up over the year - it can have a big impact on your child's education, through lost learning time.
⏰ Have a look at the poster above, to see how this adds up.
⏰ Please try to be on time for school - it really is important. Our doors open each day at 8.45am.

Medical Appointments

If your child is absent from school because of a medical appointment, we ask that you always provide us with a copy of the appointment letter, for our records.

It is really helpful if you can provide this for us in advance - we can take a copy of the letter in school, or you can send a photograph of the letter to our office email. 

Government Guidance - School Attendance & Absence