Leyland Methodist Schools strives to provide a caring environment in which every individual can achieve his or her full potential, without limits and we ‘Do all we can’ to achieve this. This is encompassed by values of Love, Serve, Celebrate, Together. To achieve this, we wish to create a happy, secure and purposeful culture throughout the school, which is conducive to learning and high standards, and is based on our Christian values, which are interwoven within our curriculum intent and design.
All school staff will work with pupils and their families to ensure each pupil attends school regularly and punctually.
It is the responsibility of the parents/carers to: ensure that their children are regular and punctual attendees and to:
Contact the school office on the 1st day of absence no later than 8:45am
Keep all contact numbers up to date
Attend meetings in school
Provide proof of medical appointments, if the reason for absence is given as illness
Avoid any leave in term time – this includes any holidays which should be discussed with the school prior to the holiday being booked, as if it does not meet the criteria, it may lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice
Participate in support and interventions offered by school or other agencies if it is deemed necessary.
It is the responsibility of pupils to:
It is the responsibility of the school to: encourage good habits of attendance and punctuality by:
Staff setting good personal examples
Adopting a positive attitude to children who are regular and punctual attendees
Monitoring attendance by completion of registers
Initiate the use of first day response call when children are not in school in time for registration
Following up absences with requests for letters of explanation from parents
Following up unexplained lateness
Involving parents/carers in meetings
Supporting any gaps in learning that can be addressed
Involving the Pupil Attendance Support Team when appropriate
Referrals to Children Missing in Education when appropriate
Leave of Absence
Absence during term time should be avoided and a leave of absence will only be granted if the circumstances are considered exceptional by the Executive Headteacher.
To request a leave of absence for your child from school it must be submitted via the LCC Leave of Absence Application form below.
Forms must be submitted with as much notice as possible and prior to the absence. A letter will then be sent home via your child confirming whether the absence will be authorised or not.
Medical Appointments
For any medical appointments you are not required to provide a leave of absence, however please provide to the office either a copy of your letter, appointment card or a text message prior to the appointment. This must be provided on collection of your child from the school office.
Late Procedure/Signing In or Out your Child
Doors open for all children at 8:40am in the Infants and 8:40am in the Juniors and lessons begin at 8:45 in the Infants and 8:50 in the Juniors - all pupils are expected to be in school at this time. Pupils who arrive between 8:45am (Infants) or 8:50am (Juniors) and 9:00am will receive a late mark. Late marks are unauthorised and will count as an absence (unless school authorised the lateness in advance, for example, with evidence of a medical appointment). Lateness will be added to your child’s record of attendance and may result in the Local Authority issuing a Penalty Notice if a pattern emerges.
Dismissal is at 3:15pm for the Infants and 3:20 for the Juniors prompt. If you are going to be late to collect your child, you should contact the school office as soon as possible. This ensures your child’s wellbeing is protected and they are aware of the circumstances of non-collection.
Illness
To report an absence, a telephone message stipulating the precise reason for the absence and the anticipated return date must be left on the absence line of the school office on 01772 423694 before registration is taken at 8:45am (Infants) or 8:50am (Juniors) on the first day of absence. Where a proposed date of return is not given, the same procedure must be followed on every subsequent day of absence.
Children who have had an illness where sickness and/or diarrhoea was prevalent must remain at home and not return to school for 48 hours after their last bout of sickness/diarrhoea, in line with NHS guidance.
Sending a message on Class Dojo or email is not an acceptable way to report an absence as these cannot always be viewed in a timely manner.
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.
Please see: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/ for the most recent advice on periods of absence.
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.