Attendance

If your child is not well enough to attend school we ask that you notify the school, on the student absence line (07592 025352), by emailing attendance@wellingschool-tkat.org or via the MyEd App, before 8:00am on each morning of absence and that you provide a letter of explanation or note in the student planner when your child returns to school.

COVID-19 Related Absences

If your child has symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19), including:

• Loss of taste or smell
• High temperature
• Continuous, dry cough

they should not come to school and should take a COVID-19 test. If the test comes back as negative your child can return to school the next day. If the test comes back positive, your child must stay at home for 10 days, and the rest of the household should isolate for 14 days. Please update the school each morning your child is off school for COVID-19 related illness.  

If the school has not been contacted, we will phone home to find out the reason for absence. As soon as your child is well enough, they should return to school. It is the parent’s responsibility to inform the school of the reason for absence. This must be completed each day that your child is absent. If a child is absent without reason, a text message will be sent to parents by My Ed- the school’s communication app. Please ensure that you have downloaded the app to a home computer or mobile device.

Any absence that exceeds 5 days must be supported by medical evidence.  If parents or carers are unresponsive following a period of absence, the school may decide to make a referral to Social Care. The school may also make referrals to the school nurse if there are repeated periods of illness.

The school is very concerned for the welfare of our students and any child missing education. This is in line with the school’s safeguarding policy. Where there are persistent or prolonged periods of sickness, the school may refer the matter to SEAAS so that the correct advice and assistance can be put in place to support the family through this difficult period.

There may be occasions where medical evidence is needed to support the reasons for your child’s absence from school. The school and SEAAS will not approach your doctor to obtain that evidence. It is your responsibility as a parent/carer to provide a medical certificate or doctor’s letter, as appropriate.

Leave of absence

Permission to be away from school is granted only in special cases eh. Dental or medical appointments if these cannot be made at any other time. However, for these absences a copy of the appointment card or letter should be provided when making the request for absence. We would expect a student to be absent for the appointment only and not for the full day.

Occasionally we make concessions for important family commitments, or for outings connected with a future career. If you think that you can reasonably ask permission for your child to be away, please write to Mr Maher, Deputy Head overseeing attendance at least 5 days prior to the requested absence, to allow the school the opportunity to consider your request.

Attendance Officer

Mrs Britton is our School Attendance Officer. As part of her work, Mrs Britton deals with welfare, frequent and prolonged unexplained absence and the monitoring of attendance at individual lessons. Mrs Britton will follow up concerns over attendance involving contact with students, parents/ carers. She can always be reached by telephoning the school.

With thirteen weeks of holidays, there should be no reason to take a family holiday during term time. Penalty notices can be issued to parents who take their children out of school.  More importantly, the disruption to students’ learning of a week (or more) absence may have a severe detrimental effect on their progress.

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