Our Attendance
Absence from School - a Reminder (taken from KCC Code of Conduct for Penalty Notices)
All parents of (or someone who is responsible for) a child aged 5 to 16, are legally responsible for making sure your child attends school regularly. Regular and punctual attendance is also essential in order for children to maximise the opportunities available to them. The percentage of attendance should be 96% or above. The Kent Attendance Officer has regular meetings with the school regarding absences, and persistent lateness. Where there are concerns he/she will visit those parents.
Ensuring regular and punctual attendance will:
- give your child the best possible start in life
- help your child make the most of educational opportunities
- instil in your child good time keeping habits
- prepare your child for the world of work
Please do everything possible to help your child attend school and support their learning. Shopping trips, birthdays, waiting for a delivery, outings, visits to/from relatives are NOT acceptable reasons for missing school.
Illness
If your child is too ill to attend school, you are expected to telephone at the beginning of the day to tell us what is wrong with your child. This applies if your child has been absent from school the previous day.
If you do not contact the school or the Headteacher is not satisfied that the absence could not be avoided, it may be recorded as an unauthorised absence.
Holiday Absence
The Headteacher will not authorise absence for family holidays during term time.
Lateness
It is important that children arrive at school on time. This encourages habits of good time keeping and lessens classroom disruption. If your child arrives late without a valid reason, this may be recorded as an unauthorised absence.
At St. Joseph's the gate opens at 8.35 am daily and closes at 8.45 am. Any child arriving after this time will need to register at the office.