At Bailey’s Court Primary School, we strongly believe that creating good attendance habits in the early years of school can really impact on a child’s learning and happiness. Once these positive habits have been secured, children are far more likely to flourish. Regular attendance supports better learning, strong relationships and a sense of belonging.
We appreciate that there will be times when a child might not be well enough to attend school. Here is some advice from the NHS about common ailments. For further information on specific illnesses, please follow this link:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Coughs and colds It’s fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold. But if they have a fever, keep them off school until the fever goes.
High temperature If your child has a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes away.
Sore throat You can still send your child to school if they have a sore throat. But if they also have a high temperature, they should stay at home until it goes away. A sore throat and a high temperature can be symptoms of tonsillitis.
Vomiting and diarrhoea Children with diarrhoea or vomiting should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days (48 hours).
If you feel your child is not able to attend school for any reason other than illness, please do contact us. We would really like to work with you to reduce absence and support your child to be in school. Our Parent Link, Nicola Martin, is highly skilled and would be happy to speak with you if you have any concerns or questions. Mrs Martin can normally be found on the school playground at drop-off between 8.45am and 9.00am or she can be contacted on 01454 838320.
Mrs Martin is a trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) and has supported children with a range of needs including Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) as well as other emotional needs. EBSA is a type of anxiety-related absence which is sometimes called ‘school refusal’ or school phobia. If a child feels fearful or anxious about school or is unable to go to school, this would be described as a school-related anxiety and may be a symptom of EBSA.
If you have any questions or concerns linked to attendance, please do not hesitate to contact us via the admin@baileyscourt.com address or via the school office on 01454 838320.
The School Day
Your child should arrive at school between 8.45am – 8.55am. Children should walk straight into their classrooms where registers are taken at 9.00am and any child arriving after 9.00am will be recorded as late.
Holidays and Requests for Absence
From September 2013, the Government withdrew the right for head teachers to grant 10 days holiday leave to children during the school year. The new guidelines are very specific that absence from school may only now be granted by the head teacher in ‘exceptional’ circumstances. Governors have agreed that this could include, attending music examinations, funerals or family weddings etc. The head teacher can only consider applications made using the ‘School Application for Absence Form’ (see link below) which must be submitted two calendar weeks ahead of the date requested for absence. Any request for holiday will not authorised.
Our absence request form is saved in pdf format. PDF documents are viewable in your web browser, but if your computer does not natively support PDF documents, a reader can be installed using this link: Adobe Reader
