Attendance

Children need to attend school regularly to benefit from their education. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school (Government School Attendance publication 2019).

Attendance

Balksbury Federation attendance policy is in accordance with Government guidelines.  A leave of absence during term time will not be granted except in the most exceptional circumstances.  Requests for leave must be made in writing to the Headteacher and an absence request form is available from either school office.  If you wish to make an appointment to talk through a possible absence with the Headteacher, she will be more than happy to accommodate you; contact the school office on 01264 352801 (Infants) or 01264 365642 (Juniors). Please note that permission cannot be granted after the leave has been taken.

Attendance Essential Information for Parents

Infant School

School starts at 8:45

Registration closes at 8:50

Parents who have not called in, will be called by a member of staff.

Children who are late, must be signed in by an adult.  

Parents may be issued with a penalty notice for persistent lates.

Junior School

School starts at 8:40

Registration closes at 8:45

Parents who have not called in, will be called by a member of staff.

Children who are late, must be signed in by an adult.  

Parents may be issued with a penalty notice for persistent lates.

What is Good Attendance?

An attendance rate of 96% or more is considered good at Balksbury Federation.  Attendance can soon drop. For example, a child who misses school just twice each month will loose 18 days' education across the school year - that's nearly four weeks.  Please click here for our attendance policy.

Persistent Absence or Lateness

If your child is persistently late or absent from school the school is duty bound to inform the Local Authority and implement a penalty notice. 

When is it ok for my child to stay away from school?

Illness
If your child is ill please notify the school office in the morning to inform us that they will be absent from school; we are sorry but we cannot accept a message via a sibling. For absences of 5 days or more medical evidence will be required.

Medical Appointments
When possible please  arrange these out of school hours, at weekends or during school holidays. Naturally, there will be times when this isn’t possible but you must try to give as much advance warning as possible to the school office.

Religious Festivals
Please ask the school in advance for permission to take time off for religious reasons. The Government advises schools to take advice from local religious leaders as to the appropriate number of days to allow as authorise absence for each festival.  We cannot authorise any time off for religious reasons after the event.

Information and Advice about Attendance

If you would like advice on ensuring attendance, Hampshire County Council have several pages covering different topics including Penalty Notices.  Click here for this information.

If you wish to talk to one of our Community Support Leads about attendance and problems you may be experiencing, please contact either school office and book an appointment.