PUPIL ABSENCE PROCEDURES

In recent years increasing attention has been paid to the issue of child protection and safety due to reported occasions where children have been seriously or fatally injured because of the inappropriate or criminal actions of adults.

It is important that staff and parents continue to work together to develop and improve arrangements for monitoring the care and welfare of all children and young people.

With that specific aim in mind, Aberdeenshire Education & Children’s Services has asked all schools to implement a series of standard procedures to monitor pupil attendance and absence from school and to invite the co-operation of parents in making these changes work.  All parents are asked to assist the staff in the schools which their children attend in the manner described below:

Attendance and Absence Procedures

Parents are responsible for ensuring that their children attend school regularly and arrive on time.  They are also responsible for ensuring the safety of their children on their journeys to and from school except whilst on school transport where Aberdeenshire Council has clear guidelines about pupil safety.  Absence of pupils travelling on school transport must also be communicated to the bus company or (where known) the bus driver.

Regular and punctual attendance is linked closely to achievement and school staff would wish to work with parents to ensure that children can achieve fully. The school is required by law to maintain an accurate record of the attendance and absence of each pupil and parents are requested to assist in this process by keeping the school informed if their child is to be absent for any reason.

Unplanned Absence

It is important to note that if a child does not arrive at school and there is no reasonable explanation provided for his/her absence then members of staff will be required to ascertain the whereabouts for the safety of the individual child.  This will involve a phone call to the parent soon after 9.30am.  Repeated calls will be made until the child’s whereabouts have been confirmed.  If contact cannot be made the situation will be assessed and it may be thought necessary to attend the property, inform the local social work department or contact police.  In order to avoid causing unnecessary concern for staff and parents the importance of good communication between home and school cannot be over-emphasised.

Parents are asked to assist school staff in the manner detailed below:

• If your child is unable to attend school through illness/other reason, please telephone the school between 8.30am and 9.30am on the first day of his/her absence.

• When you contact the school, it would be helpful if an indication could be given as to the child’s expected length of absence from school.

• If your child is home for lunch and becomes unwell at lunchtime making them unable to return to school in the afternoon, please telephone the school before the beginning of the afternoon session to inform a member of staff.

The school follows the Aberdeenshire Promoting and Managing Pupil Attendance in Education Establishments Policy and Guidance. The links for these can be found below

Promoting and Managing Pupil Attendance in Education Establishments policy

Promoting and Managing Pupil Attendance in Nursery, Primary and Special Schools Guidance

Safeguarding is a number one priority for the school and the monitoring of daily absence is an important part of this. To support the school with this, and to ensure that all children and young people are safe and accounted for, it is essential that parents and carers contact the school to inform them of their child’s absence.

The school is required to follow up on unexplained absences on a daily basis. Where no information is received about a pupil absence at a certain point in the school day, the school will call the main parent contact and where necessary, they will call any emergency contacts that are held on the school system for that child.

Where no contact can be made and it is therefore not possible for the school to confirm that a child or young person is safe and well, it may be necessary to contact other agencies such as Social Work and Police for support. To minimise the need for this, please contact the school to explain any absence, either prior to, or on the day of the absence

1     Holidays during term time.

The Scottish Government has deemed that holidays taken during term time for primary and secondary children should be recorded as unauthorised absence unless there are exceptional circumstances. Should you wish to remove your child from school to attend a family holiday you must inform the Head Teacher in advance. This absence will normally be recorded as unauthorised, although there may be exceptional family circumstances that have been discussed and agreed with the Head Teacher. Parents are advised to limit the number of holidays taken during term time, to minimise disruption to a child’s education. For annual holiday dates for Aberdeenshire schools please see the section at the back of this book, contact the school office or go to:

https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schooltermdates