Attendance Information

Dear Parents and Carers,

We would like to extend a big thank you to all our HVA parents and carers for supporting your children to attend school and engage so well with their learning during last academic year. We know that this reflects the value our families place on children learning in school every day. We are looking forward to working with all our existing and new families in this new academic year, to support best attendance and learning. At HVA we want and expect our children to attend school every day, unless they are really not well enough to.  We believe that children who attend regularly are more likely to feel settled in school, maintain friendships, keep up with their learning and gain the greatest benefit from their education.  Attending on time every day also helps children form good habits which can stay with them throughout their education and on into the workplace.

Support for your child in school
Please remember that we are here to help in any way we can. If you have any concerns about your child that you wish to discuss with us, please do get in touch. If we cannot help directly, we will work with you to help you find other support. You can contact us by calling the school office on 01934 312720, emailing [email protected] or ask your child’s teacher to contact us.

We have outlined below some important information about our schools attendance expectations.

Arriving at school on time

Arriving at school on time is not only essential for children’s learning, it encourages habits of good timekeeping and lessens any classroom disruption. Late arrival means pupils risk missing important information which can seriously disadvantage them.  The school gates open at 08:40am. The main gate will then be closed at 08:55am, which is the official start of the school day and when the registers will be taken. Lessons start promptly at 9:00am. After this time, parents will need to exit via the side gate and any families arriving after this time will have to sign in late at the office. We are hoping this will reduce children being late and miss the crucial welcome, check-in and outline of the day. Staff may contact parents/carers of children who arrive late to school regularly, to discuss reasons for lateness and solutions to support them to attend on time.

Illness

Children should attend school every day the school is open, unless they are really not well enough to. Minor ailments should not be a reason for staying at home. If your child attends school when feeling slightly under the weather, do let a member of staff know and we will monitor them and contact you if we think they need to go home. If you aren’t sure whether or not to send your child to school, please contact the school office and we will be happy to advise.

If your child is too ill to attend school, you must notify the academy before 8:30am on the first day of absence. If your child is ill for more than one day, you will need to notify the academy on each morning of the absence, unless otherwise agreed. To report an absence, contact the school office.

Please clearly explain the symptoms your child has, when the symptoms started, and when you expect your child to be well enough to return to school. By law, schools must record all absences and whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised.  

Medical/Dental Appointments

Please try to avoid medical and dental appointments in school time. If this is unavoidable, arrange appointments so the minimum school time is lost. Unless it is an emergency appointment, parents/carers are expected to let the academy know about the appointment in advance, with evidence of the appointment. Your child should still attend school for as much of the school day as possible.

Unexplained Absences

The academy will follow up any absences where the parent/carer has not contacted us to explain why, or where we are unclear about the reason for absence. If you fail to notify us of the reason for your child’s absence, it will be recorded as unauthorised.  Where the academy has cause for concern about the actual reason for absence, staff may seek additional information or evidence from parents/carers regarding the absence, and/or make a home visit to verify the reason. Unauthorised absences may result in a penalty notice or prosecution.

Important reminder about Term Time Leave

Attending school every day helps children and young people maximise their learning and enjoy the benefits of their education. It really does make a difference. For that reason, the academy will not authorise any leave of absence in term time, unless satisfied the reason is exceptional.

We ask parents and carers to request permission in advance, and only if absolutely necessary. Any requests should be put in writing via the term time absence request form which can be found in the school office and wherever possible submitted with at least four weeks’ notice. The parent or carer, who the child normally lives with, should make the application. We also ask parents and carers not to make plans without discussing with the academy first, so that we can make good decisions together.

It is really important that we know where children are, as we have a duty to ensure they are safe. If we don’t know why a child is absent, we will follow our safeguarding procedures. Parents/carers are reminded that unauthorised term time leave may result in a penalty notice or prosecution. To assist parents/carers in booking holidays and arranging other events, please find detailed below the term dates and inset days for this academic year. Our term date information can also be found here: https://haywoodvillageacademy.clf.uk/our-academy/term-dates/

If you have any questions about the information provided, or any other attendance related questions, please contact Della Hall and Sarah Saunter.

Kind Regards

Miss Della Hall and Mrs Sarah Saunter