Reporting absence due to illness or medical appointment

If your child is not well enough to attend school or has a medical appointment, please;

1. Telephone the school office on the first day of absence.  If you are unable to speak to a member of school staff, please leave a message on the school’s answer machine.
2. Once your child is ready to return to school, please send your child back to school with a letter clearly noting the day/s and reason/s for absence. 
3. If it is expected that your child will be off school for more than one week or long term due to illness/other, please ensure the school is advised of the situation as soon as possible.  
4. For a child that has a dentist or other medical appointment, please represent your appointment card or letter if you have one, in advance to the school office. We will need to receive written notification of an appointment in advance whenever possible. To report this absence, if you wish you may complete one of our pink 'Notification of Absence' forms available from the school reception area or provide your own written note. Please discuss your child's lunchtime arrangements with the school office if your child is not at morning registration, but returning to school before 1pm.

Can parents please try and make non emergency medical appointments outside of school hours, where ever possible.

At Spellbrook, the expectation is that your child attends school every day.  Parents not contacting the school on their child’s first day of absence may receive a telephone call from the school enquiring why their child is absent. Each term or half-term our appointed Attendance Improvement Officer (AIO) visits the school to check that pupils are attending school regularly.  Children who are identified as not attending regularly without providing a legitimate reason may be contacted by the service.  Any highlighted concerns are discussed with the headteacher.  Authorised and unauthorised absences are reported annually to the Department for Education and Employment.

Request for leave of absence

To request leave of absence for your child/ren, please ask at the school office for a Leave of Absence form.  Family holiday requests are routinely recorded as unauthorised absence. Only in exceptional circumstances will days off school be authorised.  You may be asked to make an appointment to discuss the requested leave with the headteacher. 

For clarification please ask to see the schools attendance policy. 

This can be found on the link below or on this website under: Statutory Information - school policies Attendance Policy