Attendance
At Bridgtown we aim for all children to achieve at least 97% attendance. These targets cover the number of authorised and unauthorised absences and the number of times a child is late.
Ideally pupils are expected to achieve 100% attendance. If, however, a child is ill or is absent for any reason, parents or carers are asked to phone the School Office giving a full reason for the child’s absence. If a child is absent from school and there is no phone call from home then school will phone home to inform parents that the child is not in school and enquire about a reason why. Help us safeguard your children by ringing the school on the first day of absence and telling us why your child is unable to attend school. If we are unable to contact you, a member of the senior leadership team will try and make contact and this may involve a home visit and further action.
Dental and medical appointments should, whenever possible, be made outside of the school day. If it is unavoidable that a child should have an appointment during school hours, the school office should be notified of the date and time of appointment and when the child will be collected/returned to school. Evidence of the appointment should be given to the school.
It is a parents/carers legal responsibility to bring their child to school on time every day.
Mrs Murray, our attendance officer, has the responsibility of contacting parents on the first day of absence and monitoring every child's attendance in school.
The school/local authority does keep attendance and lateness records and these are regularly monitored by Mrs Murray. Mrs Murray works closely with Miss Harrison AHT and the rest of the senior leadership team who will follow up concerns about attendance or punctuality. If the child’s attendance/lateness gives cause for concern, the parent/carer will be invited to an attendance meeting to discuss reasons for absence and to agree ways it can be improved. If the absence persists then further action will be taken, up to and including legal action.
School Holidays During Term Time
The school follows the latest Government regulations for taking holidays in term time and is advised by Staffordshire County Policy.
Head teachers have the discretion to grant leave, but they should only do so in exceptional circumstances. If a head teacher grants a leave request, it will be for them to determine the length of time that the child can be away from school.
Parents will be fined for taking their child on holiday during term time without consent from the school.
If you wish to apply for absence from school, please complete our holiday request form and submit it to the Headteacher. Every application will be considered separately and a written response will be sent out. If you wish to discuss your application with the Headteacher, please contact the school.
The school is part of Staffordshire Local Authority. As such, the school follows the local authority's guidance on attendance.
Please click on the link below to access the local authority's information about attendance:
https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Education/Education-welfare/Attendance.aspx