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Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery School firmly believes that all children benefit from regular school attendance. A full and interrupted presence gives children the opportunity to fulfil their academic and social potential but also contributes significantly to establishing a positive leaning and work ethic.

The school recognises the importance of school holidays (12 weeks per year) for children to rest recuperate and enjoy spending quality time together as a family. The Head will not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are ‘exceptional circumstances. Regular and significant absence may initiate involvement with the Inclusion Officer and result in possible fines and legal action. Please click on the link below for our Attendance Policy. 

Sickness and Absence

• If your child is absent, please phone the school on  the first day of absence and, if the absence is for more than one day, please continue to phone each day.

• A text or email is sent from the school to parents when their child is absent.

• For medical appointments during the school day, notification is required in advance. Confirmation of appointments must be shown to the school office. Routine appointments should be made outside of school hours. 

What happens if my child is late or unwell?

Parents need to phone the school office on the first day of a child’s absence and phone every day until the child returns to school. Please read our Attendance Policy for further details. Late arrivals for school will need to be signed into the school office with a reason clearly stated for the lateness.

In order for your children to maximise their progress in school it is expected that all children arrive in school on time. Arriving late for school can be incredibly unsettling for children, this impacts on a child’s ability to learn- we therefore encourage parents to start school with the right habits.

Being late to school can have a considerable impact over the whole school year. The table below shows you just how much time can be missed over a year just by being 5 minutes late to school every day:

5 minutes late every day = 3 days of school lost a year
10 minutes late every day = 6.5 days of school lost a year
15 minutes late every day = 10 days of school lost a year
20 minutes late every day = 13 days of school lost a year
30 minutes late every day = 19 days of school lost a year

We understand that the school mornings can be hectic, but when your child is late for school they are missing out on vital parts of their education.
If you have any queries or would like to talk to anyone about attendance and punctuality, please do not hesitate to contact our Senior Office Administrator on 01883 343014.

Medicine

If your child requires medicine to be administered during the school day, including self-administered medication such as inhalers, a form must be completed to accompany the medicine. All medicine must be clearly named and given into the school office by the parent or carer. These forms can be downloaded from the school website or requested from the school office. We will ask that medical forms for pre-existing medical conditions are renewed at the start of each new academic year.