Attendance & Punctuality
It is expected that your child attends school every day, on time. The nationally expected level of attendance is 96%. If your child’s attendance falls below this level, you will be invited to discuss this with the Headteacher or a senior member of staff.
The Welfare and Attendance officer monitors all children’s attendance. If you feel that you need support in improving your child’s attendance or punctuality, please discuss this with us. For families where attendance levels remain low after we have made contact with them, we will refer these cases to Brent’s Educational Welfare Service (EWS) for additional support to improve.
If your child is absent from school, please make sure you contact the school with an explanation. We will then decide whether this is authorised or unauthorised. It is the parent/carer’s responsibility to contact the school, before the start of the school day.
Children at school for 98% and above of the time are rewarded for their good attendance.
Illness:
If your child is unwell, please ensure you contact the school office before 9 am on that morning. For persistent absence due to illness, we will also require a letter and/or medical confirmation.
Medical Appointments:
If your child needs to attend a medical appointment, please try to arrange this out of school hours. If an appointment falls during the school day, we expect you to inform the office in advance and show proof of the appointment. The absence should be only for the morning or afternoon session - not the whole day. You should also inform your child’s teacher in advance. Please note, if a child is absent from school for a parent or sibling’s appointment, this absence is unauthorised.
Religious Leave:
We understand that a religious observance may occur on a school day. Children will be permitted to be absent for one day for a religious festival.
Punctuality:
The School day starts at 8.40 am. Please ensure children are in class by this time. Any children who arrive after 9.00am will be marked as late.
Extended Leave of Absence:
Only in exceptional cases will any leave of absence be considered by the Headteacher. Please be aware that in most cases some or all of the leave will be recorded as unauthorised. If your child is absent for more than the time stated on your form a referral will be made to the Brent Education Welfare Services. Extended leave can lead to your child’s name being taken off roll and deleted from our admissions register. You may not be able return to The Stonebridge School upon their return and may have to reapply for your place.
View The Stonebridge Schools'an Attendance policy.
