Attendance & Absence

Waldringfield Primary School is committed to providing an education of the highest quality for all its pupils and recognises this can only be achieved by supporting and promoting excellent school attendance for all. This is based on the belief that only by attending school regularly and punctually will children and young people be able to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them. High attainment depends on good attendance. The whole school community – pupils, parents and carers, teaching and support staff and school governors – have a responsibility for ensuring good school attendance and have important roles to play.

For all absences, including sickness and medical appointments, on the first day of absence the parent or carer must contact the School Office advising the school of their child’s absence.

Full details about attendance and absence can be found in our Attendance Policy.

Permission may be granted for the following:

• ​If a child is in an approved drama/dance performance or sporting activity for which a licence has been granted by the Local Authority

• If a child is involved in an exceptional occasion – in authorising such an absence the circumstances of the case and the overall pattern of attendance may be considered

• In exceptional circumstances permission may be given for a family holiday, exceptional circumstances being:

  • • Service personnel and other employees prevented from taking holiday outside term time

• When a family needs to spend time together after a crisis or other exceptional circumstance

• Your child cannot attend school on that day because it is a day you are taking part in religious observance. 

• Your local authority is responsible for arranging your child’s transport to school and it is not available on that day or has not been provided yet. 

• You are a gypsy/traveller family with no fixed abode, and you are required to travel for work that day meaning your child cannot attend their usual school. 

Parents are required to complete and return a leave of Absence form (available from the school office) at least 4 weeks before the proposed dates of absence.  The Absence form is returned to the parent and a copy kept in the child’s blue file.

Parents are often reminded through the Head teacher’s regular newsletter, that taking holidays during term time is not conducive to their child’s education.

For further information, please read our attendance policy on our policies page.

If a request for leave of absence is authorised, an authorised absence will be recorded in the register. If your child is absent from school, without authorisation or a valid reason as explained above, an unauthorised absence will be recorded in the register. The Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) from Suffolk Education Authority checks the registers once each half term.

Parents need to be aware that the Local Authority has introduced warning notices and penalty fines for unauthorised absences, when a pupils overall, general attendance is considered to be poor.

Please note that even if this absence request is authorised you may still receive letters of concern from either the school or Local Authority if your child’s attendance drops below a level that the school deems acceptable.