ABSENCE

Illness

If your child is going to be absent from school due to illness, please inform the school office before 9am in the morning.

To report a child's absence, please either:

•  email hello@mounthawke.org or phone us on 01209 890230 (answerphone 24 hours)

Medication

If your child requires prescribed medication whilst attending school, please bring the medicine to the office where you will be asked to complete a form - see below.  

If your child needs an asthma inhaler, we will need you to complete an Asthma Card - see below.  

Leave of Absence / Holiday

If you are taking your child out of school for a holiday, or any other event, then you must request this in writing using the form at the bottom of the page, giving clear reasons as to why you are requesting this.  This form is also available from the office.

It is not school policy to authorise any holiday during the school term. Absences will be recorded as 'unauthorised' on the register.  See our policy below for further information.

Medical Appointments

If you need to take your child out of school for any length of time to attend a medical appointment, then the school office must be notified in advance. We also ask to see the letter confirming the date and time of the medical appointment. Please ensure that, where possible, medical appointments are made outside school time.

ATTENDANCE

Since September 2015, a new challenge has faced every school with the reduction of the threshold for persistent absenteeism now set at 10%, reducing from 15% in previous years. This amounts to 19 school days in a year. This is a very tight target and is linked to holidays in term time and indiscriminate days off.

Additionally, the guidance for issuing penalty notices for unauthorised absence has been revised. It now states that:

Penalty Notices can only be issued in cases where a pupil of compulsory school age has been absent from school and the absence has not been authorised

Or

Where a pupil arrives persistently late

The minimum level of absence necessary is 10 or more school sessions (5 days) in any 100 day period.

Prosecution under the Education Act should be considered as an alternative where 20 or more sessions of unauthorised absence occur.

It is therefore essential that all requests for ‘leave of absence’ are made well in advance to enable time to check reasons, evidence and previous attendance information. Do not assume that authorisation will be given. School term dates are published well in advance to enable parents to make plans for holidays out of school time. These can be found either on the school website Calendar or Cornwall Council website.

This guidance is intended to be used in tackling parentally condoned absence where it is reasonable to expect that a parent can ensure the child’s regular attendance but are not willing to take responsibility for doing so.

Please help us and your child by ensuring that their attendance remains above 96%.