Attendance

Regular attendance at school is crucial in maintaining continuity of learning and social development for all children. At Carnforth Christ Church we want all our children to take full advantage of school and gain appropriate skills, which equip them for life. From time to time, however, there are genuine reasons why your child may be absent from school.

Authorised Absences

If your child is ill and needs time off school to recover, this will be authorised as long as the absence is supported by a telephone call on the first day of absence and a written explanation by a parent on your child’s return. If your child has a longer term or recurring absence, you may be requested to bring a copy of your correspondence with their doctor in order for school to accurately acknowledge and authorise the absence. Where a child requires time out of school to attend hospital or dental appointments, please notify the school prior to the absence and again provide written confirmation of the appointment. Where possible, we ask parents to make appointments outside of school hours or at least be made later in the school day.

Accidents or Illness in School

In the event of an accident or illness in school which requires further medical attention (e.g. hospital) your child will be given immediate care and attention and you will be telephoned and asked to come and collect your child. It is, therefore, imperative that all contact information is kept up-to-date. If your child has received minor medical treatment at school, (e.g. minor wounds cleaned or plaster applied), this will be recorded in our school medical records. Parents will be contacted when the school believes the injury to be of a more serious nature.

Collecting Your Child

In the interest of safety, all children must be collected from the School Office by a parent or known responsible adult, where they can be signed out, and back in should they later return, in our central record.

Leave of Absence  

Parents who wish to apply for leave of absence for their child for the purpose of a family wedding/ funeral/ holidays etc. should complete the appropriate form available from our School Office. All applications will be considered on their own merits, but parents are asked to note that legislation only allows the Headteacher to authorise leave for ‘exceptional circumstances.’ By definition, leave of absence should not occur regularly. Our school actively discourages family holidays taken during school time and as such these will not be authorised.

Medicines in School

From time to time, your child may require medication, such as antibiotics, which need to be taken during school hours. School is happy to supervise the taking of any medical which has been prescribed by your child’s GP. In such cases, please complete the appropriate form available from our School Office or downloaded from the school website, and hand this in at the School Office. For further information please see our Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs Policy which can be found in the policies section of the school website.