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Parental Engagement |Parent & Carer Support| PTA | Parent & Carer Cafes| Lunch Menus | Uniform
Parental Engagement |Parent & Carer Support| PTA | Parent & Carer Cafes| Lunch Menus | Uniform
ATTENDANCE
Every half-day absence from school has to be classified by the school as either AUTHORISED or UNAUTHORISED. This is why information about the cause of any absence is always required.
Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for a good reason like illness (where a child it too ill to attend school) medical/dental appointments which unavoidably fall in school time, emergencies or other unavoidable cause. attend school) medical/dental appointments which unavoidably fall in school time, emergencies or other unavoidable cause.
Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no ‘leave’ has been given. This type of absence can lead to the Local Authority using sanctions and/or legal proceedings.
What if I have been to the doctor or the dentist?
If it is possible, please arrange for medical appointments to be outside of school time. However, if you have had to go in an emergency for your child, you must bring with you evidence that you have been. This can be an appointment card, a prescription that has been issued on that day, or evidence that you called the surgery to speak to someone and take advice. If the school has seen the evidence then the absence will be recorded as code M. This is authorised. If there is no evidence then it will remain as code L or code U.
My child is unwell today – what should I do?
Everyone is unwell at times and needs to stay at home to get better. If your child is absent due to illness you must tell the school as soon as possible. You can do this by:
If your child is absent and we do not hear from you we will:
If we are very concerned and worried about your child’s attendance because it is low, we will:
What happens if only one of my children is ill but it means I can’t bring the others to school?
The absences for those children who are not unwell is unauthorised. It will be recorded as code O. Code O will go towards a penalty notice (or court proceedings).
What happens if I am unwell, as a parent/carer, and I can’t bring my child/ren in to school?
The absences for those children who are not unwell is unauthorised. It will be recorded as code O. Code O will go towards a penalty notice (or court proceedings).
Only the school can authorise the absence
Parents and carers think that they can authorise their child’s absence, but this is not the case. Only the school has the authority to do this. If your child is away from school due to a lot of illness, then the school may decide not to authorise the absence. If our attendance staff believe that this is a possibility in the near future for your child, they will get in touch with you to let you know and warn you, that in order to have any future absences authorised due to illness, the school will require medical evidence.
What is medical evidence?
Medical evidence is something that you could easily get if your child has been unwell. It is NOT asking your GP for a letter, it is NOT asking you to tell us all the details of your child’s medical history. Here are some suggestions of what you can bring to us:
If the school has not authorised the absence it will appear as a code O on your child’s attendance record. Code O means ‘reason provided for absence but the school has chosen not to authorise’
What if I want to go on holiday during term time?
This is absolutely not acceptable. Dulwich Hamlet Junior School will not authorise any absence due to a family going on holiday. We feel there is nothing more important than your child’s education and with 170 days of holiday and weekends, this is plenty of time to go on holiday without missing school.
This includes arriving early to pick up your child on the last day of term because early travel arrangements have been made. Please do not do this because the absence will be unauthorised.
Here are some of the reasons parents/carers have given recently for their child’s absence, all of which were unauthorised (code G). Code G will go towards a fixed penalty notice of £120 per child.
This is the only time I/my partner/my family can take leave for a holiday together
It is too expensive to go on holiday during school holidays
(Relative/friend) has booked a trip for us and didn’t realize what the term dates were
We’ve booked a flight/ferry/house from Friday afternoon because we want to avoid the traffic
Our tickets were on standby and we were bumped off the flight (please do not book standby tickets)
I want to take my child to see (XXXXXXX), it is an important educational/cultural experience
We are (insert nationality) and it is important that they experience the culture of their country
I have to go on a business trip and there is no-one else to look after my child
I have an appointment and there is no one else to pick up the children until 5:30pm
We have to go back to (insert name of the country) to see our elderly relatives because they are ill and frail
Absences around a holiday period
We have had a number of families who have gone away during a school holiday saying their relatives are ill and on the due date for return to school, have either not come back or have called to say something else has happened and they don’t know when they will be returning. If we do not hear from you and you do not return on time, we will report your child to the local authority as a child missing education. If it has not been possible to return on time you will need evidence to prove why, but you are risking a fixed penalty notice of £120 per child.
We monitor very closely and it is always noted when a child is ill just before or just after a holiday period. If we suspect that you have gone on holiday you risk being issued with a penalty notice (£120 per child) We are very thorough in our checking, we will phone parents and carers and will expect to be able to get hold of you. We may also come to visit your home address.
Asking for exceptional term time leave
What is exceptional term time leave?
This is when you need to take your child/ren out of school during term time because you cannot avoid it. An example of this is a religious observance.
Religious observance (code R)
Dulwich Hamlet Junior School recognises that there may be times where children of different faiths observe religious festivals that fall outside of school holidays and weekends, and will consider authorising absence for these times. This covers important events in the calendars of the six main world religions, such as Eid or Orthodox Christmas or Easter. We expect parents to be aware of these dates, well in advance. If it is authorised, the headteacher will decide how many days. The first day is always a code R. If more days are authorised, it will be a code C.
External examinations (code C)
Some of our children take additional classes or study additional skills outside of their time at school. This is something we greatly encourage at Dulwich Hamlet. If time is needed to sit an exam for these activities, or appear in a public performance then this is considered to be special leave. Evidence of the date and time of the exam/trial, or a performance license, in the case of appearing in a public performance, will be needed in order to authorise.
Induction days/interviews/examinations for secondary schools (code J)
These are most likely to happen during the autumn term, the beginning of the spring term, and towards the end of the summer term. Evidence of being registered for an exam and being invited for interview/induction, must be provided in order to authorise.
Other reasons for requesting exceptional term time leave may include:
Applying for exceptional term time leave
For all of these circumstances (above) parents and carers should request the leave in the normal way by completing an Exceptional Term Time Leave request in advance (download the form here or collect a copy from the school office).
If you believe you have a very good reason to take your child out of school during term time, and it has not been listed, then please follow the same process.
DHJS Attendance and Punctuality Policy
DHJS Attendance Concerns Action Flow Chart
Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for a good reason like illness (where a child it too ill to attend school) medical/dental appointments which unavoidably fall in school time, emergencies or other unavoidable cause. attend school) medical/dental appointments which unavoidably fall in school time, emergencies or other unavoidable cause.
Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no ‘leave’ has been given. This type of absence can lead to the Local Authority using sanctions and/or legal proceedings.
What if I have been to the doctor or the dentist?
If it is possible, please arrange for medical appointments to be outside of school time. However, if you have had to go in an emergency for your child, you must bring with you evidence that you have been. This can be an appointment card, a prescription that has been issued on that day, or evidence that you called the surgery to speak to someone and take advice. If the school has seen the evidence then the absence will be recorded as code M. This is authorised. If there is no evidence then it will remain as code L or code U.
My child is unwell today – what should I do?
Everyone is unwell at times and needs to stay at home to get better. If your child is absent due to illness you must tell the school as soon as possible. You can do this by:
- Calling us on 020 7525 9188/9 (press option 1 to provide specific information regarding the absence - we need to know more than just 'unwell/ill/feeling under the weather') on the first day of absence, and then each day that your child is absent. It is important to do this everyday so where know where your child is. We will make a note on our registers of when we spoke to you and what you said.
- Visiting the school office in person, where you can speak to a member of the Admin Team.
If your child is absent and we do not hear from you we will:
- Telephone or text you on the first day of absence. We may do this even if you have already called in and left a message if we require some clarity. We will note down on our registers the time we made, or tried to make, contact with you, and the reason you gave for absence.
- If we have still not been able to contact you we will send you a letter requesting that you inform us of a reason for your child’s absence.
- We may visit your home to check that your child is ok.
If we are very concerned and worried about your child’s attendance because it is low, we will:
- Invite you in to discuss the situation with the Headteacher;
- Refer the matter to Southwark Local Authority Education Inclusion Team if attendance moves below 90%.
What happens if only one of my children is ill but it means I can’t bring the others to school?
The absences for those children who are not unwell is unauthorised. It will be recorded as code O. Code O will go towards a penalty notice (or court proceedings).
What happens if I am unwell, as a parent/carer, and I can’t bring my child/ren in to school?
The absences for those children who are not unwell is unauthorised. It will be recorded as code O. Code O will go towards a penalty notice (or court proceedings).
Only the school can authorise the absence
Parents and carers think that they can authorise their child’s absence, but this is not the case. Only the school has the authority to do this. If your child is away from school due to a lot of illness, then the school may decide not to authorise the absence. If our attendance staff believe that this is a possibility in the near future for your child, they will get in touch with you to let you know and warn you, that in order to have any future absences authorised due to illness, the school will require medical evidence.
What is medical evidence?
Medical evidence is something that you could easily get if your child has been unwell. It is NOT asking your GP for a letter, it is NOT asking you to tell us all the details of your child’s medical history. Here are some suggestions of what you can bring to us:
- An appointment card/slip that is from your surgery and the date on this matches a day your child was absent from school
- A copy of the prescription that has been issued – it must be in the name of the child who is absent and also cover the date/s of absence
- A record on your mobile telephone that you called your GP surgery to ask for advice. When you call, please ask for the name of the person that you spoke to. We will ask to see the number that you called, how long the phone call was for and the name of the person you spoke to.
- If the school has authorised the absence due to illness it will appear as code I on your child’s attendance record. Code I means ‘illness’
If the school has not authorised the absence it will appear as a code O on your child’s attendance record. Code O means ‘reason provided for absence but the school has chosen not to authorise’
What if I want to go on holiday during term time?
This is absolutely not acceptable. Dulwich Hamlet Junior School will not authorise any absence due to a family going on holiday. We feel there is nothing more important than your child’s education and with 170 days of holiday and weekends, this is plenty of time to go on holiday without missing school.
This includes arriving early to pick up your child on the last day of term because early travel arrangements have been made. Please do not do this because the absence will be unauthorised.
Here are some of the reasons parents/carers have given recently for their child’s absence, all of which were unauthorised (code G). Code G will go towards a fixed penalty notice of £120 per child.
This is the only time I/my partner/my family can take leave for a holiday together
It is too expensive to go on holiday during school holidays
(Relative/friend) has booked a trip for us and didn’t realize what the term dates were
We’ve booked a flight/ferry/house from Friday afternoon because we want to avoid the traffic
Our tickets were on standby and we were bumped off the flight (please do not book standby tickets)
I want to take my child to see (XXXXXXX), it is an important educational/cultural experience
We are (insert nationality) and it is important that they experience the culture of their country
I have to go on a business trip and there is no-one else to look after my child
I have an appointment and there is no one else to pick up the children until 5:30pm
We have to go back to (insert name of the country) to see our elderly relatives because they are ill and frail
Absences around a holiday period
We have had a number of families who have gone away during a school holiday saying their relatives are ill and on the due date for return to school, have either not come back or have called to say something else has happened and they don’t know when they will be returning. If we do not hear from you and you do not return on time, we will report your child to the local authority as a child missing education. If it has not been possible to return on time you will need evidence to prove why, but you are risking a fixed penalty notice of £120 per child.
We monitor very closely and it is always noted when a child is ill just before or just after a holiday period. If we suspect that you have gone on holiday you risk being issued with a penalty notice (£120 per child) We are very thorough in our checking, we will phone parents and carers and will expect to be able to get hold of you. We may also come to visit your home address.
Asking for exceptional term time leave
What is exceptional term time leave?
This is when you need to take your child/ren out of school during term time because you cannot avoid it. An example of this is a religious observance.
Religious observance (code R)
Dulwich Hamlet Junior School recognises that there may be times where children of different faiths observe religious festivals that fall outside of school holidays and weekends, and will consider authorising absence for these times. This covers important events in the calendars of the six main world religions, such as Eid or Orthodox Christmas or Easter. We expect parents to be aware of these dates, well in advance. If it is authorised, the headteacher will decide how many days. The first day is always a code R. If more days are authorised, it will be a code C.
External examinations (code C)
Some of our children take additional classes or study additional skills outside of their time at school. This is something we greatly encourage at Dulwich Hamlet. If time is needed to sit an exam for these activities, or appear in a public performance then this is considered to be special leave. Evidence of the date and time of the exam/trial, or a performance license, in the case of appearing in a public performance, will be needed in order to authorise.
Induction days/interviews/examinations for secondary schools (code J)
These are most likely to happen during the autumn term, the beginning of the spring term, and towards the end of the summer term. Evidence of being registered for an exam and being invited for interview/induction, must be provided in order to authorise.
Other reasons for requesting exceptional term time leave may include:
- Immediate family member’s bereavement, crisis, serious illness or funeral
- Wedding of immediate family member
- Medical appointments for half a day or longer
Applying for exceptional term time leave
For all of these circumstances (above) parents and carers should request the leave in the normal way by completing an Exceptional Term Time Leave request in advance (download the form here or collect a copy from the school office).
If you believe you have a very good reason to take your child out of school during term time, and it has not been listed, then please follow the same process.
DHJS Attendance and Punctuality Policy
DHJS Attendance Concerns Action Flow Chart