Attendance & Timekeeping

At Cedars, we are aiming to set the highest standards of attendance and punctuality. Our target for attendance is a minimum of 96% for each class. We believe it is important to work with parents to improve punctuality and attendance. If your child is absent from school please phone the school office as soon as possible to tell us why your child is absent, and when your child is expected to return to school. The school phone number is: 01254 261609.

Attendance: 

Aims:

• To promote excellent attendance.
• To ensure punctuality.
• To raise the level of achievement.
• To provide an effective but manageable means of monitoring attendance for both groups and individuals.
• To be able to seek for school and/or provide for parents effective and prompt support for families experiencing difficulties over attendance.
• To raise awareness that unauthorised attendance and poor punctuality is not acceptable.

As a school we have developed a new attendance procedure to improve our attendance. Please find the details of our new procedure below. You will be contacted through the email: attendance@cedars.blackburn.sch.uk

Guidelines:

Children are expected to attend school for the full 190 days of the academic year unless there is a good reason for absence. There are 2 types of absence: -

• Authorised – where the school approves pupil absence. These absences may include sickness, hospital and emergency dentist appointments and religious holidays. Medical appointments should be arranged if possible out of school hours. Where this is not possible it is expected that the pupil will only miss part of the day.
• Unauthorised – where the school will not approve pupil absence. These absences include shopping, going to the airport, visiting relatives, parent(s)/carer unwell, excessive appointments without notification.

As a school, we are unable to grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Please refer to our Extended Leave of Absence Policy, which is available on our school website for further guidance.

Please ensure your child is on time every day in school. We have a Breakfast club running every morning at the Upper School from 8.00am to 8.45am. If an early drop off would benefit you and your child then please ask for further information at the school office. The cost is £1.00 each morning, this covers their food, drinks, supervison and access to several activities.

• Days off school add up to lost learning

• Please don’t let your children miss out on the education they deserve

Medical Appointments 

Appointment Procedures:

        Please make every effort to make appointments out of school time.

• If you need to make an appointment please explain you can only attend at a time when it will not impact on your child missing education.

• If you cannot avoid a school time appointment please inform admin staff as soon as you are notified by presenting your appointment letter, card or text to request permission to take your child out of school. A photocopy will be taken to go with your child's attendance record.

• Please do not wait to inform us until the day of the appointment or turn up half an hour before the appointment time because if you do not give us adequate notice you will need to wait until there is a convenient break in the lesson for your child to come out of class.

 Frequently Asked Questions

Welfare

Q. My understanding is that we are allowed to take the children off school for 10 days in any given academic year. Is this correct?

A. No. Under no circumstances can a family holiday be authorised. In years gone by it was tolerated but, the DfE have given strict guidelines now informing Headteachers that they are not permitted to authorise such absences. The DfE have also given the LA (Local Authority) the power to issue fixed penalty notices to families who do take their children out of school for a holiday. In some instances children may be taken off role and lose their place.

Q. When should I report an absence?

A. On the first day before 9am. Please leave a message on the answerphone or call the school office. You will be asked your child’s name and the reason for absence. ‘He’s ill’ is not enough information unfortunately. We need to monitor certain illnesses and report them if they become virulent within our community.

Q. My child has diarrhoea, when should they return to school?

A. 48 hours after the last bout of diarrhoea.

Q. My child has been vomiting, when should they return to school?

A. 24 hours after the last bout of vomiting.

Q. My child is on antibiotics but they feel well in themselves, can they return to school?

A. Yes. If the antibiotic is to be given three times per day we ask that you give it in the morning, immediately after school and before bed. If medication is required four times a day parents are requested to come in and give it to their child.

Q. Can I give my child medicine e.g. Calpol sachets, to take if they feel unwell or have a headache?

A. No. Under no circumstances should a child be in possession of medication of any sort.

Q. My child needs regular medication during school time, what do I do?

A. Speak to the school office. We do have official papers that parents may sign to give us permission to administer certain medicines e.g. inhalers for asthma.

Q. My child has nits, what do I do?

A. Unfortunately nits and headlice are part and parcel of primary school life. The best way to limit the chances of getting them is to always tie your child’s hair back or keep it short. Nits do not jump, they transfer through head to head contact and children tend to huddle in groups or whisper to each other during day to day play.

The best way to deal with nits is to regularly use a nit comb when you wash your child’s hair. You wash the hair as normal, condition it and leave the conditioner in whilst using the nit comb. After each stroke, wipe the comb clean on a piece of kitchen roll. Longer hair will need sectioning. When the whole head is done, rinse the conditioner. If nits or lice were found, repeat in 3 days until clear