Attendance and Leave of Absence
Why regular attendance and Punctuality is so important
Frederick Bird Academy is proud member of our community. We want to educate and nurture your children so that they can be the best that they can be in our ever-changing world. Regular school attendance and arriving on time are a huge part of giving children the best possible start in life. The aim should be to attend 100% of the time. Attending school helps to develop:
- Friendships
- Social Skills
- Team values
- Life skills
- Cultural awareness
When children attend school consistently, they are more likely to do well in their work, but also build strong relationships and feel connected with the school community. Learning is a progressive activity; each day’s lessons build upon those of the previous days. Classes also use discussions, demonstrations, experiments and participation as part of the daily learning activities, and these cannot be made up by those who are absent.
Every minute really does count!
School mornings can be hectic. But when your child is late for school this means they are losing out on vital parts of their education. Being as little as 5 minutes late each day is the equivalent of missing three full days of school in one year.
Help and support
School staff are committed to working with parents to ensure any problems are dealt with straight away in order for pupils to feel happy and safe and achieve to the best of their ability. If parents have any concerns relating to attendance or lateness that they wish to discuss, please contact the Pastoral Team.
Reporting absence
Illness
On the first day of absence you will need to contact school to report the reason for absence. Contact the school by accessing the Studybugs App or Studybugs Online (if you have not yet registered, the details of how to are below). If you are not able to access Studybugs, please speak to the Pastoral Team who can help you to set this up (02476 221920 option 1), or you can email the team at to attendance@frederickbirdacademy.org. As non-attendance is a Safeguarding concern, the Attendance Officer will follow up any unreported absences with a phone call or home visit and it is vital that you respond.
Medical appointments
We would expect any routine dental or optician’s appointments to be made out of school time. If your child has an unavoidable medical appointment, please bring the appointment letter as soon as you receive it. Your child should attend school until you need to collect them for the appointment.
Holidays
Leave of absence during term time will not be authorised and should be arranged during the school holidays. Where family holidays are taken without the permission of the school, parents can be given a Penalty Notice (a fine).
School Gates
Our school gates are open from 8:30am and are closed promptly at 8:40am every morning. Your child’s school day starts at 8:45am in the classroom when registers are taken.
Studybugs
If you haven’t already, please get the free Studybugs app, or register on the Studybugs website, and use it to tell us whenever your child’s ill and unable to attend school.
Get the app or register now (https://studybugs.com/about/parents)
Top 3 reasons to use Studybugs
- It’s integrated with our systems so we know right away if your child is unaccounted for.
- It’s quick and easy to register and use and automatically reminds you to keep us posted.
- You’ll be helping the NHS and other public health organisations improve children’s health. (https://studybugs.com/about/schools)
Every day in school makes a difference to your child’s future …
Government Guidance
Please read our attendance policy which can be found in the policy section of our website:
Useful Links
Is my child too ill for school?
How long should I keep my child off school?
Early Help | Coventry City Council
Studybugs
Attendance is one of the priorities we want to improve at Arley, we know from research how time missed
from school can impact the learning outcomes and at Arley we want to help the children to achieve their
potential in all areas. So with your help we are asking you all to download the Studybugs app, any absence MUST be reported through this app. You can download the app from the apple store or google play. The app is easy to use and will also offer guidance from the NHS as to whether the illness you report requires your child to be off school. The app will also automatically message you if we have not received notification of your child’s illness at
school by 10am.
We look forward to your co-operation in using this new method of communication for reporting your child’s absence. We also want to reassure you that all the data shared on the app will be kept secure and confidential between the app and the school.