At Westfields Infant School, we aim to work closely with parents and carers to achieve high standards of attendance and punctuality. It is important that children attend school every day, unless the reason for absence is unavoidable.

If your child arrives after 9am, they will be marked absent for morning registration. This absence will be unauthorised and repeated lateness can dramatically affect a child’s attendance. Please also note that 10 unauthorised absences / late marks may incur a Penalty Notice.

Having a good education will help to give your child the best possible start in life. Every lesson in school matters and if your child is often absent it will result in gaps in their learning. This may interrupt the continuity of their education and impede their progress. If your child does not attend school regularly they will miss out on other aspects of school life. They may find it difficult to form friendship groups and may miss out on social events. They may miss letters home or information which needs a response. This can affect their ability to feel part of the school community.

Absence Requests

If your child is going to be absent from school for any reason i.e. hospital appointment, please complete an Absence Request Form. Miss Redman will return this via your child’s book bag. Please make non-urgent medical appointments outside of school hours. We are only able to authorise leave in ‘exceptional circumstances’. We cannot authorise family holidays. If a child over the age of 5 has 10 or more unauthorised sessions (5 days) in a 10 week period, this will result in a Penalty Notice being issued. Please see below for further information.

What to do if your child is absent from school

Please call the school office on 01252 873603 and choose option 1 to leave an absence message, stating your child’s name, class and reason for absence. Parents should notify the school by 9.30am on each morning of absence.

What to do if your child is late

Please call the school office on 01252 873603 and choose option 1 to leave a message, stating your child’s name, class and reason for being late. If your child would like to order a school meal, please also advise of their menu choice.

Attendance Information

Click below for information on attendance, including NHS guidlines on absence periods according to illness.