Mr Reid’s Blog
Mr Reid’s blog Down on Heavers Farm contains messages and information relating to attendance, punctuality and behaviour. Please take a look, he welcomes comments left there.
Arrival at School
Children coming to school should use the main entrances and for their own safety must keep to the pavement. Children should assemble on the ‘covered area’ outside their classroom from 8.30am onwards.Children are not allowed on the field or in the playgrounds. Entry to classroom is permitted at 8.40am. All classroom doors are locked at 8.50am. Children arriving after this time will not be allowed to enter through the classrooms and must go to the main school office where their lateness is recorded.
If a child is late to school more than 5 times their parent or carer may be liable to a Fixed Penalty Notice fine of £50.
Parents are asked not to bring cars near the entrance as parking and turning space is very limited. In fairness to local residents we hope parents will show consideration when parking near the school at the start and end of the school day.
Attendance and Lateness
If your child is ill or has been away from school, please telephone or write a note to us explaining the reason for the absence. Please make sure that your child gets to school on time. Lateness is an easy habit to get into, but a difficult one to get out of. It means missing valuable learning time and makes a poor start to the day, which can have a bad effect on a child’s education.
If you do not let the school know why your child is absent we will telephone you to on the first day of absence to find out why your child is not in school.
If your child has a high level of absence then you may be liable to a Fixed Penalty Notice fine of £50.
Appointments
Please tell us about appointments beforehand in order that we may place an appropriate mark in our registers. Children must be collected from school if they have to leave during the day for an appointment; please report to the reception office when collecting or delivering children before and after appointments. You will be asked to sign your children in and out. If you are unexpectedly delayed at an appointment and do not expect your child to return before 11.30 am, we prefer you to keep your child at home until after lunch.
Late Collection
We would emphasise the importance of arriving on time to collect your child. Children not collected from their classroom by 3.10pm will be brought to the school office. These children’s names are entered in a ‘late collection’ book and parents/carers are asked to provide an explanation and a signature when they arrive.
Please contact the school if you are delayed or if you have made alternative arrangements for your child to be collected.
Leave of Absence Requests
Unbroken attendance throughout the school year is in the interest of your child’s education. The Governing Body have instructed that authorisation for absence will not be given for outings, family holidays, shopping trips or family visits. Holidays should be taken during the school breaks and not during term time. However, in exceptional circumstances, permission may be given by the Headteacher for a maximum of two weeks absence during the school year. Please put your request for leave in exceptional circumstances in writing to the Headteacher at least 5 working days before the first day when your child will be away from school.
If your child has a medical condition or needs to take medication during the school day you will need to complete a Medical Action Plan so that we can help you manage your child’s condition at school. Please contact the school office for more details. If you are concerned about your child’s health and would like further advice, please contact Mr Rodney Reid who may be able to set up an appointment for you to meet with the School Nurse.
Absence Due to Illness
If your child needs to be absent from school because of illness, please let us know on the first morning of absence through a telephone call or an explanatory note. An answer phone is provided out of school hours should parents wish to leave a message about absence in advance of the school day. If you know your child will be ill and away from school for some time, please inform us in writing or by telephone. Please do not send your child back to school until he/she is fully recovered.
Contact Numbers
You are asked to complete a form giving details of telephone numbers and addresses where we can contact you in an emergency. We hope these will be few and far between but it is important that information is current: please advise us immediately of any changes.
