Attendance
It is vital that all children are at school every day and on time.
The Importance Of Attendance
REMINDER: Children's attendance should be 100%.
Any holidays or unauthorised absences taken during school term time may result in a penalty notice being issued (per parent, per child).
"There is a clear link between poor attendance at school and academic achievement… children have little chance of catching up their peers if their attendance is bad." (Department for Education. Improving Attendance at school. Crown 2012)
At Bury C of E we value education and the right for every child to be educated. At the heart of this is regular attendance. We reinforce to children that "We come to school to learn," and that "If we aren't at school, we aren't learning." Being at school every day is very important so that children don't miss out on valuable learning time.
The only reasons to be absent from school should be due to illness or exceptional circumstances. No holidays will be authorised in term time under any circumstances.
Our attendance policy and procedures are in line with Local Authority policy.
Timings of the School Day
08:35 am School gates open
08:40 am Registration
8:55 am Collective Worship
9:10 am Lessons
10:30 am Morning break
10:45 am Lessons resume
12:10 pm Lunch break
1:10 pm Afternoon lessons resume
3:15 pm End of day (Reception finish at 3:10pm)
Celebration Assembly is normally held each Friday at 9.00am - all parents/carers are welcome - please check newsletters for up to date information.
Reporting illness
If your child is ill please contact the school on EACH day of absence. Absences can be reported by telephoning the office on 01487 813784 before 8.30 in the morning. Please leave a message on the answerphone if there is no one available to take your call. Alternatively, email the school: office@bury.cambs.sch.uk.
Late Arrival
All children who arrive at school after the classroom doors have closed (8:40am) must report to the front office.
The late arrival will be recorded on the register as ‘L’ slightly late, before registers close.
All children who arrive at school after the close of registration at 9.05am must report to the front office. The late arrival will be recorded on the register as ‘U’ unauthorised late.
Absence
If your child is due to leave school during lesson time for any medical reason (e.g. to attend a dental or hospital appointment) please email the school office in advance, attaching proof of the appointment (e.g. hospital letter) where possible. For any non-medical absence request, please complete the 'Request for Leave of Absence' form below and hand to the office.
PLEASE NOTE, THE ABOVE-MENTIONED FORM IS ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE OFFICE ON REQUEST.
List of services
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Why a child’s attendance at school is so importantList Item 4
Children’s learning in school is based on a build up of skills and knowledge.
This build up is continually planned by teachers on a day to day basis. Children that miss one session could miss out on a potentially important session and although every effort is made to catch children up when they return, this is usually not as effective and takes time away from the rest of the class.
If children miss out on a number of sessions this can significantly affect their overall progress.
Children that are away from school on a regular basis can miss out on opportunities to build strong friendships within school.
Attendance is based on a child being at school in time for the morning register as well as the afternoon register so being marked present for 2 sessions a day.
Both these sessions count towards their overall attendance figure which is simply a percentage of how many sessions your child has been present throughout the current academic year.
Don’t be late! Every Minute Counts
If your child is late every day by:
5 minutes means 3 school days lost
10 minutes means 6.5 school days lost
15 minutes means 2 weeks lost (10 days)
20 minutes means 2 weeks 3 days lost (13 days)
30 minutes means 3 weeks 4 days lost (19 days)
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Authorised AbsenceList Item 2
Absence from school can be authorised for the following reasons:
Medical appointments
Illness where the school has been notified by phone or in writing
Religious observance
NOTE: An authorised absence is still recorded as the child not being in school and will have a negative effect on their attendance figure.
Other absence from school will be unauthorised in all other circumstances unless deemed to be ‘unavoidable’ by the Headteacher. This does not apply to term-time holidays, which will always be unauthorised.
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Unauthorised Term Time Leave (includes Holiday):List Item 3
Any parent who takes a child out of school for term time leave of 10 consecutive sessions (5 days) or more, not authorised by the school (under unavoidable circumstances rule), may receive a Penalty Notice.