Iver Village

Infant School

Every lesson counts

A guide to school
attendance

Every child has the right to receive full time

education.
Children can only make the most of their
education opportunity if they attend regularly and on time.
Lessons lost will never be recovered.

Iver Village Infant School places a high priority on

regular attendance & punctuality.
With this in mind we have produced this booklet to
keep parents up to date with useful information and
advice in helping your child to gain the most from
their education.
We rely heavily on parents to work in partnership with
us to support pupils in attending school and hope
that the information provided will support you with
any issues which may affect your childs attendance
and punctuality.
It is important that we help the children develop their
own positive experiences of school to ensure they
achieve their full potential.
We hope you find this booklet useful.

Our Education Welfare Officer, visits school regularly

and can be contacted for support on 01296 387391
or further information can be obtained through the
school office.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is attendance so important?

Evidence shows that if a child does not attend regularly.

They cannot keep up with their class work.

They do not achieve the results

They miss out on the social side of school and can have problems maintaining friendships.

My child has 90% attendance, that is good isnt it?

No, in relation to the amount of days absent over a year it

would equal 19 days absence, nearly four weeks off school.

My child has odd days off now and again, surely they are not
going to miss too much?

These odd days can surprisingly add up and during this time
they could be missing out on crucial learning.

My child is only absent when she is ill.

If your child is ill you need to contact school to let them know.
If your child is persistently absent due to illness we may request
medical confirmation e.g. Doctors certificate.

What difference does it make if my child is a few minutes late?

Arriving late causes disruption and can be embarrassing for the

child. e.g. Walking into class when everyone is working.

By arriving late they can miss the initial teacher input which
would make it difficult for them to understand the lesson.

I would like to book a holiday in term time, am I entitled to 10

days holiday?

No. Holidays will not be authorised during term time.

Days off school add up to lost learning

Please dont let your child miss out on the education

they
deserve.
Every day in school counts

Being Late adds up to a loss of

learning.
If you are late by 5 minutes every day that adds up to
over three days lost each year.
Fifteen minutes late is the same as being absent for two
weeks a year. Being late every day can add up to a lot
of lost learning time.
Please help your child to be punctual.

5 m ins late
10 m ins late
15 m ins late
20 m ins late
30 m ins late

If
you are worried about your childs attendance please
talk to us at school about it.
An average attendance of 80% or less across a childs
school career adds up to missing a whole 2 years from
school!

Tips for good attendance

Make sure school uniforms and bags/lunches/

homework are ready the night before to avoid
panic/ lateness in the mornings.

Find out who else lives nearby, so if you or one of

your children are unwell they may be able to travel to school with another family.

As far as possible, make all doctors, dentists or other appointments for after school or at the weekend so as not to affect their attendance. An absence for an appointment is still an absence.

Think carefully about whether your child is really

too ill to attend school. If you are unsure, let the
school make the decision - bring your child to
school and if they are unwell the school will contact you to collect them.

If you are worried your child does not want to attend school talk to them and the school to check
there is nothing else going on or any issues that
can be resolved.

Attendance and the law

Process for poor attendance
1.

School will notify parent of the childs irregular school attendance and
offer them the opportunity and support to improve.

2.

If you receive a letter informing you of concerns regarding your childs

attendance you should

3.

Speak with your child to see if there are any reasons why they are reluctant to attend

4.

Contact the school to discuss any difficulties you or you child may be
experiencing.

5.

Ensure your child attends school regularly

6.

If there is no improvement and the parent has not provided a good reason for the absence, the school will refer to the Education Welfare Service.

7.

The Education Welfare Service will invite you to attend a Parenting Contract Meeting and issue a Warning of a Penalty Notice.

8.

A Parenting Contract is a voluntary agreement between yourself and

the Local Authority aimed at supporting you in improving your childs
school attendance.

9.

Whilst your involvement in a Parenting Contract is voluntary, if you fail to

engage with the support offered and your childs attendance remains
irregular the Education Welfare Service may issue a Penalty Notice or

begin legal proceedings in the Magistrates Court.

10.

If you are issued with a Penalty Notice of 60 this must be paid

in full within 28 days otherwise the Penalty will increase to
120. If you fail to pay the Penalty the Education Welfare Service may instigate legal proceedings against you.

If you are found guilty of this offence you can be fined up to 2500
and or be imprisoned for a period of three months.

If Your Child is Absent from School

The procedure for reporting absence is, on the first day

and every other day of absence, parents contact the
school
office to inform school of the reason for the absence
and to advise of a date for their return. You can inform
us by phone 01753 655104 (answer phone for messages) or by email to office@iver-inf.bucks.sch.uk
The School operates a system of First Day Calls which
means if you fail to contact school and your child is absent, you will be contacted by the school by phone or
text.
Pupils need to arrive at the gate before 8.45am and
any child arriving after 9.00am will be registered as
late. Arriving late can have a detrimental affect on
your childs learning, as they miss the beginning of numeracy/literacy lessons.
If you are worried about your childs attendance or
punctuality please talk to school about it, or contact
Education Welfare Officer, on; 01296 387391.

Absence due to illness?

How long does my child stay at home for?
Infection

Recommended
Comments
period to be kept
away from
school, nursery or
childminders

Chickenpox

Five days from

the onset of rash

Impetigo

Until lesions are

Antibiotic treatment speeds healcrusted over and ing and reduces the infectious perihealed, or 48
od
hours after starting
antibiotic treatment

Diarrhoea
and/or
vomiting

48 hours from last

episode of diarrhoea or vomiting

Conjunctivitis

None

Over the counter

treatment available

Head lice

None

Treatment is
recommended in cases where live
lice have been seen.

Threadworm

None

Treatment is
recommended for child and
household contacts

Tonsillitis

None

There are many causes but most

are due to viruses and do not need
an antibiotic

Ringworm

None

Treatment required

Warts and verrucae

None

Verrucae should be covered in

swimming pools, gymnasiums and
changing rooms

Vulnerable children and female

staff