St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School
We act with love, build our faith and grow as people
Attendance
Core School Opening Hours
08.45 am - 3.15 pm Monday to Friday
School gates open each day at 08.35 am and will close promptly at 08.45 am. No parents are permitted on-site at this time. Children are to be dropped off at the Ringmead or Pembroke entrance gates where they will be greeted by a member of staff and enter their classroom to begin settling into the day.
Pick up is at 3.15 pm, prompt. Please wait to collect your child from outside their classroom.
Reporting a child's absence due to illness
If your child is ill please:
- Telephone 01344 424030 Option 1 - before 9.20am
- State clearly your child's name and class
- Give the reason for absence i.e. the details of his/her illness. You can log a child's absence by one of the following methods: phone, email, ParentMail.
- A letter confirming your child's absence should be sent to the office or the class teacher on his/her return to school.
If your child is absent from school through illness, it is vital that you contact the school before 9.20am. After this time, we will contact you to ascertain a reason for the absence.
Wherever possible, please try and arrange medical or dental appointments after school, or during holiday periods. If such an appointment is unavoidable during school time, please put your request in writing to the class teacher, who will forward the information to the school office.
Parents have a legal duty to ensure their children attend school. Term dates are provided well in advance; please make a note of them and do not book holidays or travel during term time.
Any application for a family holiday will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances such as bereavement or family trauma. Cheaper flights, family celebrations and routine visits to see family members are not exceptional circumstances. Any application for leave of absence must be made using the leave of absence form which is available from the school office or on our website.
We are obliged to issue Penalty Notices for all unauthorised absences of 5 days or more. The penalty is currently £60 per parent per child if paid within 21 days of the issue of the notice. Penalty notices will be enforced by Bracknell Forest Council through the courts so please avoid booking holidays in term time. Only genuinely exceptional circumstances which cannot have been foreseen or avoided will be authorised
In the event of your child having an early appointment at the hospital, doctor or dentist, the school would ask that you give written notice of this to the class teacher or office. If it is an urgent appointment, please leave a message on the school answer phone.
Unfortunately, if we do not receive an explanation for your child not being in school, his/her absence will be marked as unauthorised.
For all other absences, a 'Leave of Absence Form' should be completed.