Attendance

Full attendance maximises the opportunities for inclusion and achievement at school so that every pupil is able to realise their full potential. Pupils, parents and carers, teachers, support staff and governors all have a role in maintaining a high standard of attendance and punctuality.

At St James Primary School, we have developed a systematic approach to gathering, analysing and responding to attendance data in order to improve the overall attendance of our children to the best it can be.  While we recognise that illness happens to every child at some time or other – we aim to have a 96% attendance record for every class every term.

If your child is unwell or has a medical or dental appointment, please inform us by email as soon as you are able.  Parents or carers of children who are absent from school without an explanation will be emailed at 9.30am to inform them of the unauthorised abscence and requesting more information.

For more information on attendance and how to make every moment at St James Primary count, please click here.

Authorised/Unauthorised Absence

The Department of Education have stated that ‘head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time, unless they consider there to be ‘exceptional circumstances’ for doing so’.

At St James Primary, every request will be dealt with on an individual basis, but exceptional circumstances will be judged to be when ‘the unique and significant emotional, educational or spiritual value to the child outweighs the loss of teaching time.’ This may include the birth of a sibling, a family wedding or funeral, but it does not include general holiday.  A leave of absence must be authorised by the school in advance by completing an absence request form and emailing it to the School Office.  Our Head of School, Mrs Moore will then respond.

The new guidelines also state that if a child is away for more than 10 days unauthorised leave in a school year, the school must pass on their details to the Local Authority who will decide on a course of action. This may include a fine per child per day.

Punctuality

Our gates are open from 8.45am and registers are closed at 8.55am.  If your child arrives after this time, they will be marked as 'late'.  It is very important that children arrive in plenty of time for the start of school, so they can enter with their classmates, greet their friends, settle themselves for the day and receive any instructions from their teacher about the timetable for the day.

Assembly starts every morning at 9am so children arriving after this time will be asked to go straight into the school hall.  Children who are continually late, may be asked to make up the learning time missed in a break or lunchtime.  Punctuality is a priority for us and we will monitor it closely.

Requesting Leave Of Absence

If you would like to request a leave of absnce to be considered by Mrs Moore, please complete form below and email it to the School Office.  You will be informed of the decision by email.

Request Form For Leave Of Absence