absence and illness
Absences as a Performance Indicator
Parents have a legal obligation to ensure their children attend school regularly and absences during term time can seriously disrupt the continuity of learning. We appreciate that all family circumstances can sometimes be difficult however children need to be in school as much as possible. Attendance is seen as a key school performance indicator and is closely monitored by the Local Authority and Ofsted. To this end the school must collect and report details of authorised and unauthorised absences by law.
Encouraging Attendance
To encourage high levels of attendance (above 97%) we:
Award certificates to individuals and/or classes and celebrating attendance levels in school assemblies.
Provide a creative, varied and inclusive curriculum which encourages a love of learning for all our pupils.
Collaborate closely with external agencies to help families and pupils make the most of their schooling.
Inform parents regularly about any attendance issues concerning their children.
Publish our attendance statistics on our website (weekly attendance is recorded in our Parent Newsletters)
If your child is too poorly to be at school
Please make contact with the school office by 9.30 to explain the absence by telephone on 01865 361263 or email the school office@garsingtonprimary.org. It helps if you can give us as much explanation possible, e.g. the exact nature of the illness.
If your child/children have been suffering from sickness and diarrhoea they must stay away from school for 48 hrs since the last episode of illness.
Managing Absence and Lateness
Oxfordshire County Council provide the following information on their website regarding absences from school and the impact of lateness.
Guidance on Infection Control in Schools or call the School Office.
Children should be fit to participate in all school activities, including games and play times. Injury and asthma are of course exceptions. If in doubt, the school is happy to advise.
Parental Agreement for School Staff to Administer Medicine Form
If your child requires medicine while at school, please ensure you complete a parental agreement for school staff to administer medicine form.
Without these completed forms staff are unable to administer medicines to your child as per our Administering Medicines Policy.
Request for Absence
Requests for leave must also be made to the school in advance, as the Department for Education has told schools that they cannot authorise any absences after they have been taken.
A penalty notice is a fine issues to parents or carers if they fail to ensure that their child/children attend school regularly.
This penalty notice is issued by Oxford City Council.
Penalty fines are £60 per child per parent if paid within 21 days, and £120 if paid between 22 and 28 days.
If the fine is not paid, parents will be reported for prosecution.
Oxfordshire County Council’s new updated code of conduct for issuing penalty notices for unauthorised absence takes effect 19 August 2024.
There will be contact between school and the family in relation to attendance ahead of a penalty notice being issued.
Authorised absence due to illness or unavoidable circumstances
If your child is absent through sickness or any unavoidable cause, please telephone the school in the first instance. This absence constitutes an authorised absence. A written explanation should be provided on the child’s return to school.
When making a decision as to whether your child should or should not attend school due to illness please read the Parents Guide to Managing Sickness Absence.