Good school attendance is central to raising standards in education and ensuring the safeguarding of children. At Bodiam we follow East Sussex County Council guidance on school attendance.

The government expects schools and local authorities to promote excellent attendance and to act early to address patterns of absence. Parents have a legal duty to ensure that their children of compulsory school age who are registered at school, attend regularly and that all pupils are to be punctual to their lessons.

Please find a link to our Attendance Policy below:

Riverside Federation Attendance Policy 2024

Absence

If a child is absent from school for any reason, we ask parents and carers to telephone us as soon as possible, before 9.00 am on the day of absence to let us know. If a child is absent and we have not heard from you, we will telephone to ascertain the reason for absence. We actively discourage absence and late arrival and will monitor this regularly so that we are alert to patterns of absence and poor punctuality.

Your child should attend school if they only have a minor illness. The school will send them home if they think it is necessary.

Use this NHS guide to illnesses to see what illnesses may require you to keep you child away from school under normal circumstances.

If you keep your child off school, the school may ask for medical evidence.

 Withdrawal from learning

Term-time absence is discouraged and any request is likely to be unauthorised, except in highly exceptional circumstances.

A request for a withdrawal from learning during term-time should be submitted as soon as it is anticipated, preferably at least 2 weeks before the absence and in accordance with a Withdrawal from Learning application form which can be found here:

Withdrawal from Learning application form

Support for families

There is a range of services and information to support families to overcome attendance barriers which may be accessed here:

Mental Health Support for Young People

NHS: Is my child too ill for school?

Emotionally Based School Avoidance

 DfE: Guidance for parents on school attendance