Reporting your child's absence

If your child is unwell, please contact the school office by 9.30am on the morning of the absence.  You can contact the school by telephone, email or in person. You are welcome to leave an answerphone message if out of hours.

Please read our Attendance Policy carefully. 

Please note that our duty of care for all children means that if your child is absent and we haven't heard from you or been able to contact you, we will carry our an in-person welfare check. This is to make sure your child, and you, are safe.

Please contact the Headteacher using the admin email address if you have any concerns.

Our attendance policy is here:

Medical needs in school

We need to know children's medical needs so we can look after them in school. We put together a plan for managing all medical needs. The plan is based on information from you.

Please contact the school office if your child has:

• asthma

• diabetes

• epilepsy

• A medical condition that can cause breathing difficulties

• Any other underlying medical condition that impacts your child's overall wellness 

• Allergies that cause anaphylaxis

• Allergies that cause other allergic reactions that may need treatment in school

If your child has asthma or other breathing difficulties and has been prescribed an asthma pump we must have an up to date pump and spacer in school.

If your child is at risk of anaphylaxis and has been prescribed an auto injector (e.g Epipen) we must have an up to date auto injector in school. We prefer to have two auto injectors.

Please tell us if your child has any medical care needs in school. If we need more information from you to put together an individual health care plan, we will be in touch. 

Medication in school

We can administer prescribed medication in school. You will need to complete a form in the school office. We can also administer some non-prescription medication in school. This is considered on a case by case basis. An example is: pain relief for an ongoing injury like a broken arm.  Please contact the school office and speak with Mrs Leahy if you think your child needs medication during school hours.

Accidents and injuries in school

All staff are trained in Emergency Paediatric First Aid. Any member of staff can manage emergency first aid and first aid for minor injuries. We also have 5 Paediatric First Aiders who can provide first aid for more serious injuries. If your child needs more than first aid, we will call you straight away and may call an ambulance. If your child has an accident in school that has needed first aid, we will tell you. We will also give you an accident record. If your child has a head injury, we will text you. We will give you NHS advice on monitoring that injury. If you would like to speak with one of our specialist first aiders after an accident, please ask. If a First Aider advises you to seek urgent medical care or a follow up medical appointment, we urge you to follow that advice.

If your child is unwell, we ask you to contact the school office as soon as possible. We also ask that your child comes back to school as soon as they are well enough. If your child has diarrhea or vomiting, they must stay off school for 48 hours. However, if your child has a diagnosed underlying medical condition that causes stomach troubles, please contact us so we can work with you to keep your child well in school.

If your child has a lot of illnesses or is often unwell, we will be in touch to offer support. We may suggest a school nurse referral. After 15 days absence for illness, either all at once or over the year, we are required to contact the Herts County Council Attendance Team. Before we do that, we will always talk with you to see if there is any more help you need. We will always support you to manage your child's health needs.

Authorising absences

We authorise absence for illness and medical appointments.

We can authorise planned absence for compassionate reasons. This might include a funeral or wedding. There must be exceptional circumstances.

We are not able to authorise family holidays in term time. Please read our attendance policy.

If you would like to request a planned leave of absence, there is a form to complete. It is available from the school office. We ask you to complete a form so that you have all the information you need about absence. We ask you to do this 4 weeks in advance.

We value your honesty in letting us know when your child will be absent from school for any reason. It is much better for your children's emotional wellbeing in school if they don't have to hide the real reasons they are absent. We don't provide home learning for planned absences, but we will do our best to help your child catch up on learning when they are back in school. We also don't provide home learning when children are off school recovering from a serious illness or surgery. We want them to rest, get better and be back in school. 

Any concerns?

If you are worried about your child's health, wellbeing or absence, please contact the School Office. They will put you in touch with the best person to help you.

If you are not sure about our Attendance Policy, please ask.