Attendance  Matters

Attendance is recognised as a measure of the quality of the education offered by a school and the national guidance sets that all schools should aim for an attendance target of 100%.

At St Joseph's Federation, we pride ourselves in our pupils maintaining good school attendance whilst ensuring the needs of our pupils are met.  We encourage and promote good attendance and work closely with the Waltham Forest BACME team.   

We also  provide a range of  supportive measures that can address the needs of those children who do - for whatever reason - find it difficult to attend. We aim to work collaboratively with parents and carers to ensure the best outcomes for your child.  

Reporting Pupil Absence 

If your child is going to be absent from school for any reason,  please ensure that you contact the school on the day of the absence by 8:15 am on ParentMail, by speaking to a member of office staff or by leaving a message on the school’s answer machine.  You need to inform the school’s office every day of your child’s absence even if you think you child will be ill for more than one day.

You must provide :

• The name of your child
• The name of their class or class teacher
• Clear reasons for the absence
• The likely duration of the absence (you must continue to report absences daily) 

If  your child is absent from school and you have not contacted the school by the time the registers are taken, the school will contact you as part of our normal safeguarding routines.

You may also receive an absence text if you did not report your child’s absence or we could not get in touch with you as part of a welfare call. If you receive a message from the school, please ring the office back immediately.

A home visit may be made where the school is unable to establish contact with you following an unreported absence .

Medical Appointments

Please ensure you make routine check ups with medical services such as the dentists and opticians outside of school time.  

If your child has a specific medical appointment that must take place during school time, please ensure you notify the school office and provide medical evidence outlining the reasons, date and time of appointment from the hospital, clinic  or surgery in advance.

Please be reminded that your child’s absence will only be authorised for the minimum time necessary for the appointment and not the entire day. 

Prolonged absence for hospitalisation/ medical treatments 

If your child cannot attend school due to a prolonged illness, injury, hospitalisation  or medical treatment, parent/carers must complete a 'Leave of Absence Form' and provide medical evidence to support your application.

St Joseph's and local council will provide support to make sure their education does not suffer if you inform us that they are able to undertake some homework during this time, especially if they are out of school for 15 days or more.

It is the responsibility of the parent /carer to inform us that their child is fit and well to undertake any learning whilst they are off school.  This will allow the school to: 

• let the local council know if your child is likely to be away from school for more than 15 school days
• give the local council information about your child’s needs, capabilities and the programme of work
• help them reintegrate at school when they return
• make sure they’re kept informed about school events and clubs
• encourage them to stay in contact with other pupils, for example through visits or videos

Please note that any absences due to medical reasons will only be authorised if there is medical evidence to show that the treatment is urgent and necessary and cannot take place outside of school time. Cases will always be viewed on a case by case basis and parents/carers will be asked to attend a meeting in school with the headteacher where it is felt the absence cannot be authorised.     

Attendance 

Please be aware that any absence requests taken directly before or after a school holiday will go unauthorised unless there are extenuating circumstances (evidence needs to be provided).

It is important that children maintain high attendance to allow them to reach their full potential and avoid falling any further behind in their learning.

If you require any further help or advise, please contact the school directly.