Attendance
'Every School Day Counts!'
A child's attendance at school is very important. It has been proved that the greater the child's attendance the greater their achievement. Whereas failing to attend school regularly can have a major impact on children’s education, their future and their life chances. Regular attendance means attending school every day, arriving at school on time and attending every lesson.
Under section 7 of the Education Act 1996, parents are responsible for ensuring their child (of statutory school age) receives efficient full time education that is suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs the child may have. This can be through regular school attendance or otherwise. To safeguard all of our children, St Francis Catholic Primary School is committed to working with families and community partners to ensure that all children are able attend school regularly.
Any non-attendance at school must be reported on the first day of absence. Please contact the School Office by telephone by 9.00am 01274 638520 to inform the school of your child's absence. Any unaccounted for absences will be followed up at 9.20am by a text. Then if a reply is not received, this will be followed up by a phone call. If there is no reply to any of these texts or calls, then a member of the Senior Leadership will make contact and then make a home visit. 
The Local Education Authority expect all parents to ensure that their children attend school whenever possible.
Our whole school attendance target is 97%. Below, is our attendance record to date:
Illness and Medical Appointments
We encourage parents to make medical and dental appointments out of school time and if these cannot be made out of school hours then we ask for proof of appointments to be shared with the office. Where there are attendance concerns, we will ask parents to provide medical evidence.Application for Absence from School
If you would like to apply for leave of absence for your child for any reason other than illness, you must complete an Absence Request form and return it to school at least 2 weeks prior to intended absence. School will only authorise absences outlined in the Attendance Policy.
Attendance Policy