Attendance, Absence and Illness
Our children love coming to school and attendance last academic year was high – above 95%.
We take attendance seriously and ask that parents make sure their children come to school every day, on time and in the correct uniform. We closely monitor the attendance of all pupils. If a child’s attendance falls below 90%, the school will support the family to get the child back into lessons as quickly as possible.
Reporting an Absence
If your child is ill, you must report their absence via our Arbor app (see Quick Links sidebar on homepage) or school email by 9am. If we do not receive notification by 9:30am, a call will be made to you at home. If we do not receive a valid reason then the absence has to be recorded as unauthorised. Please report every subsequent day that your child is absent.
Should your child become ill during the school day, we will contact you to take them home. It is therefore vital that you provide the school with emergency contacts via the Arbor app or please advise the school office immediately of any change in telephone numbers and emergency contacts for your child.
If your child has been sick or had diarrhea, it is important that they stay at home for 48 hours after the last symptom.
Medical/Dental Appointments
When your child has a medical/dental appointment, please inform the office via email or telephone 01462 459150, as soon as possible. The office staff will endeavour to have your child ready for collection but please allow collection time from the classroom.
If a child is repeatedly absent for appointments, we may ask for proof in the form of an appointment card or letter. This can be the physical letter/card or a photo, screenshot or email.
Punctuality
The school gates are open from 8.45am when there will be members of staff on duty at the school gate and in the playground.
The school day starts at 8.55am with registration and lessons. It is important that your child arrives on time so that there is no disruption to their learning or that of other children. If you are going to be late for any reason, please ring the office and then escort your child to the school office to be signed in on arrival.
Any child who arrives late at school after the close of registration (9:10am or 1:15pm) without good reason will be recorded on the register as an unauthorised absence.
First Aid and Medication
We are committed to the health and safety of our children so a large number of staff around the school hold a first aid or paediatric first aid certificate. This allows them to deal with everyday first aid such as cuts and grazes, and emergency first aid should it be needed.
Most minor problems, such as grazes, are dealt with at school. You will be informed of such an incident via a white form, either handed over personally to you at pick up or stored safely in a child's book bag, explaining the injury/complaint and first aid administered.
In cases of extreme urgency, an ambulance may be called before parents are contacted. If parents cannot be contacted, decisions will be made in the best interests of the child by the headteacher or the teacher in charge. For this reason, it is crucial that you keep us informed of any change to your daytime contact numbers.
If your child requires over the counter medication or prescribed medication to be administered during the school day, parents will be asked to complete a medication form via email or in person at the school office (using the form below). Prescribed medication and over the counter medicine must be in the original packaging with the child’s name and dosage clearly printed on it. We will endeavour to ensure that medication is taken at the right time. Parents must collect the medication from the school office at the end of the school day.
Children must not carry medication in their school bags.
Request Form to Administer Medication
Medical Conditions
Please let the school know, as soon as possible, if your child suffers from any medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or allergies which might affect thier schooling and require a Health Care Plan. Asthma inhalers and epipens etc. will be safely stored in an accessible location in the classroom or moved around securely ensuring availability to your child as indicated in the Health Care Plan.
Health Visits
We accommodate annual visits from health professionals to meet with new parents, check height, weight, sight and hearing. Follow up visits will be made if necessary. We work with outside agencies to facilitate programs such as the flu vaccination.
Taking Holidays in Term Time
We strongly urge parents to avoid taking holidays during term time. Holiday absence will not be authorised. The Local Authority, HCC, will issue a Fixed Penalty Notice for more than 15 sessions of unauthorised absences over two consecutive terms. A session is either one morning session or one afternoon session. A full day's absence is equivalent to two sessions.
Ofsted ask all schools to point out, “the detrimental effects of parents taking their children on holiday during term time”. National assessment tests take place in Y1, Y2, Y4 and Y6, in the summer term. Please check these dates with the school before booking a holiday for children in these year groups.
If you are taking any holiday during term time, please request this absence in an email directly to the Headteacher: head@ickleford.herts.sch.uk with details of the absence. Only in extreme circumstances will holidays in term time be authorised.
