When your child is unwell and unable to come to school it is crucial that the following action is taken for each day of their absence:

-- Telephone and speak with the school office or leave a message on the answer machine at your earliest opportunity and ideally before 8.30am. If leaving a message, please state your child's name, class and reason for absence.

or

-- Email the school office using lydegreenprimary@cset.co.uk, stating your child's name and class and the reason for absence.

Please be aware that if you fail to inform the school of your child’s absence it will be recorded as unauthorised.  Absences are monitored very closely and if your child has recurring absences then the Education Welfare Team will be informed.

Please feel free to contact the Headteacher if you have any concerns or require support with getting your child to school on time.

 

A guide to all things medical

This leaflet is aimed at helping you make the right choices while guiding you on the appropriate action to take when your child is ill.

Not all illnesses require your child to take time off school.

Reasonable medical absences

• Chicken Pox and Shingles
• Measles or German Measles
• Whooping Cough
• Mumps

Action: Up to 5 days off following the first signs of illness

• Scabies

Action: Stay away from school until treated

• Impetigo

Action: Stay away from school until lesions are crusted or healed

• Diarrhoea and Vomiting (gastroenteritis)

Action: Return to school 48 hours after the last episode

• Flu

Action: Your child may return to school as soon as they are well enough

Unreasonable medical absences

• Headlice – No time off required, treat lice and send to school
• Conjunctivitis – No time required off school – some children may require treatment
• Athlete’s Foot – No time required off school, seek medical advice to avoid spread of infection
• Period Pains – This does not require time off school (gentle exercise helps)

 

Treatment for Head Lice

In order to treat Head lice the following steps are essential:

• After washing your child’s hair, apply conditioner
• Comb thoroughly with a proper nit comb (available in  most chemists)
• Repeat every other day until all lice and eggs have disappeared

 

Medical Appointments

When making dental, doctors or optician appointments, please try to arrange them for out of school hours.  Please be aware that an appointment during the school day does not require your child to miss the whole day at school.  Other than in exceptional circumstances, it will be expected that your child either returns to school following an appointment or comes in before the appointment.

While in school if your child has had a bump to the head and/or eye/nose/face they will bring home a note from the school office informing you of any treatment they have received in the medical room and advice of any signs or symptoms to look out for at home.

The Start of the School Day

Poor punctuality is not acceptable. If a child misses the start of the day, they can miss learning input and do not spend time with their class teacher getting vital information and news for the day. Late arriving pupils also disrupt lessons and can be embarrassing for the child.  Good time keeping is a vital life skill, which will help our children as they progress through their school life and out into the wider world.

 

The School Day 

Lyde Green Primary open the school gates at 8.35am for EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2. The gates remain open for five minutes and close at 8:40am. Wherever possible, we ask that children make their way independently to their classroom, with parents and carers saying goodbye at the gate, this increases confidence and independence and also enables all of the children to make it quickly onto site. All classrooms for these year groups are on the ground floor and accessed directly from the playground. Children will be greeted at the door by a member of staff.

The gates are then reopened at 8:45am for the children in Years 3 to 6. They remain open for five minutes and close at 8:50am. All children are expected to enter the school independently and head straight to their classrooms where they will be greeted by a member of staff.

Any children arriving after 8:50am must enter through the main reception. Children must then be signed in on the registration iPad in the school office.

 

How we manage lateness:

Registers officially close at 9.00am. A child, who arrives at school after 9.00am but before 9.10am, will be registered as late (L code), and entered in the ‘late arrival’ book in the office.  If your child arrives after 9.10am (20 minutes later than the start of the school day) they will have an unauthorised absence (U code) for that morning session. This is in accordance with the Regulations set down by government. Children who receive more than 10 ‘U-Codes’ in 7 school weeks can result in the school requesting the Local Authority issue a penalty notice. 

Authorised and unauthorised absences

Schools are required to publish attendance figures, which distinguish between authorised and unauthorised absences.  Authorised absences include those of sickness, medical treatment and educational visits.  Other absences can only be authorised by the Headteacher in exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances do not include scenarios such as parents' inability to get time off during school holidays, cost of travel or holidays, travel abroad for a family wedding and surprise or gifted holidays. 

Any extended periods of absence which are 10 sessions (5 full days) or more, may incur a penalty notice from South Gloucestershire Council. At present, this penalty is £80 per parent, per child.

A special application should be made for any planned periods of absence – forms can be obtained from the school office.

The school is working hard to ensure the best levels of attendance.  Letters will be sent out to parents to inform them if attendance falls below 95%.  

Please ensure that the school office have up to date information on your contact numbers and those for other nominated persons who will care for your child in an emergency.

How good is your attendance?

If your child achieves 90% in an exam you’d be really proud but what does that mean in terms of attendance?  Let’s look a little closer…

90% attendance = ½ day missed EVERY WEEK!

1 school year at 90% attendance = 4 whole weeks of lessons missed.

What impact might this have?

Research suggests that 17 missed school days a year = a grade dropped in GCSE achievement.

If a child’s attendance is improved by 1% you could see a 5-6% improvement in attainment.  Please help us and your child by ensuring their attendance remains above 95% allowing them to achieve their potential.

For more information please refer to our Attendance policy. This can be found under the 'Governance and Policies' tab on the main menu.