Our School Day

Monday to Thursday	8.45am – 3.00pm
Friday	8.45am – 2.30pm*

The school gate opens at 8:30am, and pupils are expected to be in their classroom, ready to begin lessons by 8:45am when the school gate closes.  Late arrivals will need to sign in via our inventory console located in reception and will have to wait to be taken to class.

The school gates will open for home time at 3pm and close at 3.15 pm (Monday to Thursday). On a Friday, the school gates will open at 2.30pm and close at 2.45pm. Pupils finish slightly earlier on a Friday so that staff can access continued professional development opportunities to extend and deepen their understanding in respect of autism, learning and Safeguarding.

• The morning register will be marked by 8:50am. Pupils will receive a late mark if they are not present for registration by this time. Pupils attending after this time will receive a mark to show that they were on site, but this will count as a late mark
• The morning register will close at 9:20am. If your child arrives after this time, they will receive a mark to show that they were on site, but this will not count as a present mark and it will mean that they have an unauthorised absence for that morning

We are very keen on good and timely attendance because of the negative impact on learning over time. The table below really puts persistent lateness into perspective.

Minutes late per day during the school year	Teaching days lost over a year
5 mins	Over 3 days
10 mins	Nearly 7 days
15 mins	Over 10 days
20 mins	Nearly two weeks
30 mins	Nearly three weeks

 

Holidays and Absence

We have high expectations for pupils’ attendance and punctuality, and will work with pupils and parents to put in additional support and adjustments, ensuring the provision outlined in their Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is accessed.

Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect acquisition of learning because of the patterns established. This is especially true for the young person with autism

Parents are asked not to take holidays during term time. The school will only grant a pupil a leave of absence in exceptional circumstances.

Holidays will only be authorised if there are exceptional family circumstances and at the discretion of the Co-Headteachers. In order to have requests for a leave of absence considered, the school will expect parents to contact the Co-Headteachers in writing ideally at least two weeks prior to the proposed start date of the leave of absence.

In the instance of a family emergency, which may result in a pupil’s absence, please let School know as soon as possible.

Is my child too ill for school?

To protect your child and our staff from infectious illnesses, the school follows government and NHS guidance on when pupils should be kept off school and when they shouldn’t.

It’s usually fine to send your child to school if they have a mild respiratory illness. This includes general cold symptoms – a minor cough, runny nose or sore throat. However, a child should not be sent to school if they have a temperature of 38°C or above.

If your child is unwell and is unable to attend school, please Seesaw ‘Attendance Officer’ directly, contact the school office via telephone or report their absence on ParentMail, by 9am on each day 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 class teacher know.

A copy of our school Attendance Policy is available below or a copy can be requested from the school office.

Click below to download our Term Dates and further guidance