Attendance
At Shipley CE Primary School we believe that being in school is important to children’s academic achievement, wellbeing, and wider development. There is evidence to suggest that regular school attendance is a key mechanism to support children and young people's educational, economic and social outcomes. Being is school also can facilitate positive peer relationships, which contributes to better mental health and wellbeing.
We strive to achieve an attendance rate of 96% or more for every child and will make parents aware if it falls below this level. Whilst we do not wish pupils to come into school when ill, we do expect pupils to attend when their illness is minor.
Is my child too ill for school?
Children who are registered at a school but regularly fail to turn up are officially referred to as being ‘persistently’ or ‘severely’ absent.
The school day is split into two sessions – one session counts as a morning or afternoon spent in school. Pupils who have missed more than 10% of school sessions are considered persistently absent, while children who have missed more than 50% of school sessions are referred to as severely absent.
We ask you to think very carefully before taking a child out of school during term time.
What to do if you child is unwell?
If your child is ill, you should phone the school office and speak to a member of staff or leave a message.
If your child is ill at school we will contact you to let you know.
Should your child need to be absent for any reason, apart from illness, we ask that you fill in a ‘Request for Withdrawal from Learning’ form stating the dates and reasons. The school completes their part of the form and returns it to you, informing you whether the request has been authorised, or not.
For short medical appointments of less than half a day please notify the school in person or in writing. For medical appointments for half a day or more a ‘Request for Withdrawal from Learning’ needs to be completed.
Please note that we are unable to authorise term time holidays - this is a nationwide ruling.
