The following information applies to parents of Nursery children at The Glapton Academy We have a very successful whole school strategy of improving attendance through working in partnership with parents and children.
Attendance at The Glapton Academy should be consistently above 95.5% and we need you and your child’s contribution to ensure that we attain this. The staff member responsible for attendance is the Attendance and Welfare Officer (Mrs Sharon Lang) and she is supported by the office team who are the first point of contact in the school for parents reporting absences. We expect all children to attend school every day unless they are very ill.We are aware that there will be occasional exceptional circumstances that will require individual support or alternative arrangements. We encourage parents to discuss any difficulties they may be experiencing with the staff team so that we can prevent your child being absent from Nursery.
We will communicate with you if we are concerned about your child’s attendance. Please note that, if your child is frequently absent without a justifiable reason and his/her attendance drops below 95%, your child may lose his / her place. Good attendance and punctuality ensures that children develop good social skills, have full access to education and achieve their full potential.
To put attendance into perspective, statistics show that a child who is absent for one day per fortnight will have missed one year of school (190 days) by the time they leave secondary education! Please note that parents are not entitled to take their child out of school for holidays (see Q9 below). The Academy regularly carries out nursery attendance audits and any child who has had over 10 days out of school may have their Nursery place withdrawn. Schools are only funded for children who actually attend the Nursery, so places will not be left open for children who go on holiday during term time.
If your child has a morning nursery place they need to arrive promptly at 8.45 am. If your child has an afternoon nursery place they need to arrive promptly at 12.30 pm. All children must be accompanied to nursery by an adult.
Please show your child that punctuality is important by making sure your child arrives on time each day. It can be very distressing for your child to come into a session when everyone else has started, so please make every effort to be on time.
We would expect a parent to telephone the school on 0115 9152936 on the first day of absence and to update us each day if the absence continues. We would appreciate a written explanation on your child’s return to school.
Please also bring the doctor’s appointment card and any medication that a doctor has prescribed for your child into the school office. You will need to complete paperwork at the school office. If you experience difficulties with this, please speak to the Mrs Lang or Mrs Smith.
We now have a waiting list for the Nursery. Therefore, please note that if your child is absent for a period of 2 weeks (10 school days) without adequate explanation, for which you can provide documentation, they may lose their place at nursery.
Yes, your child can come back to nursery as soon as he/she is feeling better. You will need to bring the medication to the school office and complete a form allowing a member of staff to administer the medication.
Please note that if your child has been vomiting or had diarrhoea then they have to stay at home for a period of 24 hours after it has stopped. Children with chicken pox should be absent for a minimum of 5 days from the onset of the rash.
The school will not authorise absences for:
Please note that this list is not exhaustive.
You are expected to contact the school yourself on the first day of your child’s absence on 0115 9152936. We will contact you if you have not contacted us first.
Family holidays must be taken during school holidays and NOT during term time.If in urgent and exceptional circumstances, you need to request permission for your child to accompany you on a family trip that cannot be avoided during term time, please complete a leave of absence request form (available through the school office) PRIOR to booking any tickets. You will need to provide evidence to show why the trip cannot take place during a school holiday period. The leave of absence form will need to be completed at least 4 weeks in advance of your trip.
The school has the right to refuse your request for leave of absence having given consideration to:
Please note that taking your child out of nursery has a detrimental impact on them as they may have to go through the settling-in process again.Please note that if permission is not granted, any unauthorised absence could result in your child losing their place in Nursery
