Regular school attendance is crucial for your child’s academic achievement, overall well-being, and broader development. When children attend school consistently, they have the opportunity to engage with their peers, teachers, and educational resources. Good attendance patterns correlate with higher academic achievement and a more positive school experience. Moreover, attending school regularly helps instil responsible behaviour patterns that extend beyond the classroom.
Our school attendance team consists of:
Mrs Daly (Interim Headteacher) Mrs S Prince (Deputy Headteacher)
Ms T Beswick (Parent Support Advisor)
Mrs K Wood (Office Admin)
See our Attendance Policy here.
Legislation does not give any entitlement to parents to take their child on holiday during term time so it is therefore unlikely that a leave of absence would be granted for the purposes of a family holiday. Leave of absence will only be granted (authorised) under exceptional circumstances. If you take your child out of school during term time you could be fined. In making decisions we will take into account the specific circumstances and context behind the request. If a leave of absence is granted, the Head teacher will determine the length of the time the pupil can be away from school. Requests for a leave of absence should be made in writing to the Headteacher giving as much notice as possible.
Thank you for your continued support as we work together to support our children.
The pupil’s parent/carer must notify the school of the reason for the absence on the first day of an unplanned absence by 9am, or as soon as practically possible, by calling the school office staff and/or attendance officer, who can be contacted via office@sjsb.stoccat.org.uk 01617643781
We will mark absence due to physical or mental illness as authorised unless the school has a genuine concern about the authenticity of the illness.
If the authenticity of the illness is in doubt, the school may ask the pupil’s parent/carer to provide medical evidence, such as a doctor’s note, prescription, appointment card or other appropriate form of evidence. We will not ask for medical evidence unnecessarily. If the school is not satisfied about the authenticity of the illness, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised, and parents/carers will be notified of this in advance.
Attending a medical or dental appointment will be counted as authorised if the pupil’s parent/carer notifies the school in advance of the appointment. Appointment card to be shown to the office staff.
Parents/carers should inform school via telephone or email to show their class teacher and office staff if they need to leave school early
However, we encourage parents/carers to make medical and dental appointments out of school hours where possible. Where this is not possible, the pupil should be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary.
The pupil’s parent/carer must also apply for other types of term-time absence as far in advance as possible of the requested absence. Go to section 5 to find out which term-time absences the school can authorise.
We value and recognise the importance of good attendance and have systems and processes in place to make sure attendance in managed effectively for all children. We regularly analyse attendance data to identify pupils who have consistently high attendance, those who have shown improvements in their attendance and to identify pupils who may be vulnerable. We will provide support for those who may have lower rates of attendance and again I ask that you work with school if you have any issues with your child being able to attend school regularly. We are always here to support.
School attendance is a vital foundation for children’s success. It is more than just being present—it is about creating opportunities for academic achievement, personal growth, and a brighter future. Each day in school matters and can have a lasting impact. Visit The Importance of Attendance page to learn more about attendance across our Trust.
St Joseph and St Bede RC Primary School adopts TAP’s free thanking platform!
“Our school motto is ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve’ and an important part of living this message is that staff in our school feel valued and appreciated by the wider community that we serve. We are grateful that TAP provides us with an opportunity to spread positivity and share well-deserved praise to achieve a culture of kindness.” Heather Daly, Deputy Headteacher, St Joseph and St Bede RC Primary School
If you’d like to show your appreciation to our school staff, please visit: www.thankandpraise.com/thankingwall/st-joseph-and-st-bede-school
Click on the image below to see why Attendance is your superpower:
Attendance is Everyone's Business
