Attendance and Absence

We are committed to all our students having the best possible education and positive experiences during their time with us – making positive connections with their tutor, peers, subjects, through memorable experiences in school, trips and extra-curricular opportunities. To achieve this, we expect that students achieve at least 96% attendance every academic year.

There are a variety of reasons for students missing school. Some reasons are unavoidable, but we are committed to working with you to ensure that your child fully benefits from coming to school to form strong and lasting connections.

All absences have to be coded and then become part of your child's attendance record. Where a student is not in school and we don’t receive a reason, we have to mark this absence as unauthorised.

Our Attendance Policy can be viewed under the About Us/School Policies section of our website here

Kineton High School will:

Follow up unexplained absences by phone calls and letters as necessary
Remind parents of the importance of regular attendance and punctuality in our letters, the school brochure, open evenings, Home-School Agreement and pupil annual reports
Acknowledge and reward good attendance and punctuality
Publish your child’s attendance rate on her/his annual school report
Let you know if we have concerns regarding your child’s attendance and punctuality

If we continue to have concerns we will make a referral to the Warwickshire Attendance Service (WAS), who visit the school regularly to review and support attendance and punctuality issues.

Absence Procedure

If your child is unwell or unable to attend school for any other reason, planned or emergency (part day, full day or multiple days) please report the absence via the ClassCharts app. A link to the app and instructions for use are posted below. On Class Charts you can attach evidence to support your child’s absence such as appointment letters, copies of prescriptions or medication prescribed by a GP.

Alternatively, please call the Absence line on 01926 645611 before 8.50am, stating their name and form, your name and reason.

This must be done for each day they will be absent.

For holiday requests, music exams, external sporting activities, religious observance dates and any other reasons or circumstances where your child will be absent from school not relating to illness please always complete a leave of absence form and email it to KHSAttendance@stowevalley.com

Is my child too ill for school? (NHS Guidelines)

From https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

Is my child too ill for school?

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, nursery or playgroup when they're unwell.

There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn't.

If you do keep your child at home, it's important to phone the school or nursery on the first day. Let them know that your child won't be in and give them the reason.

If your child is well enough to go to school but has an infection that could be passed on, such as a cold sore or head lice, let their teacher know.

Other illnesses

Follow this advice for other illnesses:

Coughs and colds

It's fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold. But if they have a fever, keep them off school until the fever goes.

Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues and to wash their hands regularly.

High temperature

If your child has a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes away.

Chickenpox

If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over.

This is usually about 5 days after the spots first appeared.

Cold sores

There's no need to keep your child off school if they have a cold sore.

Encourage them not to touch the blister or kiss anyone while they have the cold sore, or to share things like cups and towels.

Conjunctivitis

You don't need to keep your child away from school if they have conjunctivitis.

Do get advice from your pharmacist. Encourage your child not to rub their eyes and to wash their hands regularly.

COVID-19

If your child has mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, and feels well enough, they can go to school.

Your child should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if they have symptoms of COVID-19 and they either:

have a high temperature
do not feel well enough to go to school or do their normal activities

What to do if your child has tested positive

Your child is no longer required to do a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test if they have symptoms. But if your child has tested positive for COVID-19, they should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test.

Ear infection

If your child has an ear infection and a high temperature or severe earache, keep them off school until they're feeling better or their high temperature goes away.

Hand, foot and mouth disease

If your child has hand, foot and mouth disease but seems well enough to go to school, there's no need to keep them off.

Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues straight away and to wash their hands regularly.

Head lice and nits

There's no need to keep your child off school if they have head lice.

You can treat head lice and nits without seeing a GP.

Impetigo

If your child has impetigo, they'll need treatment from a GP, often with antibiotics.

Keep them off school until all the sores have crusted over and healed, or for 48 hours after they start antibiotic treatment.

Encourage your child to wash their hands regularly and not to share things like towels and cups with other children at school.

Ringworm

If your child has ringworm, see your pharmacist unless it's on their scalp, in which case you should see a GP.

It's fine for your child to go to school once they have started treatment.

Scarlet fever

If your child has scarlet fever, they'll need treatment with antibiotics from a GP. Otherwise they'll be infectious for 2 to 3 weeks.

Your child can go back to school 24 hours after starting antibiotics.

Slapped cheek syndrome (fifth disease)

You don't need to keep your child off school if they have slapped cheek syndrome because, once the rash appears, they're no longer infectious.

But let the school or teacher know if you think your child has slapped cheek syndrome.

Sore throat

You can still send your child to school if they have a sore throat. But if they also have a high temperature, they should stay at home until it goes away.

A sore throat and a high temperature can be symptoms of tonsillitis.

Threadworms

You don't need to keep your child off school if they have threadworms.

Speak to your pharmacist, who can recommend a treatment.

Attendance Roadmap

Summary of attendance support procedures

Click here for leave of absence form

Click here for the ClassCharts App

Click here for instructions on how to report an absence

It is our policy:

Only in an exceptional circumstance will term time leave be allowed. Parents/Carers wishing to apply for leave of absence need to fill in an application form well in advance and before booking tickets or making travel arrangements.
If term time leave is taken without prior permission from the school, the absence will be unauthorised and you may be liable for a fixed-penalty fine or other legal action.
Please remember that absence for whatever reason disadvantages a child by creating gaps in his/her learning. A good understanding of the work and good progress can only take place when the child is in the classroom regularly and on time.

If you think you have exceptional circumstances please talk to us without delay and before arrangements are entered into or money committed. If exceptional circumstances are accepted the Headteacher will determine how much absence will be authorised. Each application for a leave of absence will be considered on a case by case basis and on its own merits.Please see below for information regarding leave of absence:

Leave of Absence During Term Time – Information for Parents

Attendance Information

Unauthorised Absence: There are times when children are absent for reasons, which are not permitted by law. Examples of unauthorised absence are parental illness, term time holidays or a family day out. Where there is no explanation for an absence or where the explanation or reason for the absence is considered unsatisfactory absence will be recorded as ‘unauthorised’. Unauthorised Absences have to be reported to the Local Authority. The Attendance Compliance Enforcement Team may contact you where unauthorised absence continues to be a problem. Unauthorised absence could result in a Fixed Penalty Fine or other legal action. We are always concerned about the amount of school time pupils miss as a result of term time leave. There is no entitlement to time off during term time. Leave of absence is only granted in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Headteacher in accordance with the school policy as agreed by the governing body.

Legal Note:

You should be aware that failure to secure a child’s attendance at school is a criminal offence under Section 444(1) and 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996. In the event that a child’s absence is not authorised in relation to a leave of absence this could result in a Fixed Penalty Notice (£120.00 fine to be paid within 28 days of issue, which reduces to £60.00 if paid within 21 days) being issued to you or criminal prosecution proceedings being issued against you. Fixed Penalty Notices are issued to EACH absent child, therefore the aforementioned fine will apply to EACH parent and EACH child as set out within the notice(s). You should be aware that if the Fixed Penalty Notice is not paid then the matter will be referred to our legal department to consider instigating criminal prosecution proceedings against you under section 444(1) or (A) of the Education Act 1996. If criminal proceedings are issued and you are found guilty, the court could sentence you to a fine of up to £1,000 or £2,500 and or sentence you to serve a community sentence period or sentence you to serve a custodial period of up to 3 months. We value your support in helping the school to maintain the high standards to which we always aspire.

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