Latest Newsletter
Newsletter 28 – 22nd April 2024
Knowledge begins with respect for God (Proverbs 1:7)
This half-term’s value is ‘Hope’ (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Extended Leave
A large number of parents have been applying for extended leave recently. In some cases, children are missing many weeks of school. This can have a serious impact on children’s learning and progress, something that I have particularly noticed when looking at the results of the assessments children have recently completed in school. Any child missing weeks and weeks of school will be at a real disadvantage and it can take a very long time to make up this lost learning time – some children’s learning never fully recovers which can have serious consequences on their future life chances.
I would like to bring the following to your attention:
- Parents/carers do not have a legal right to take their child out of school for holidays in term time. Schools are expected to refuse requests for absence during term time unless there are explicit exceptional circumstances.
- Requests for extended leave to attend family weddings or to see ill relatives are not deemed to be exceptional circumstances. The availability of cheap flights or holidays is also not deemed to be an exceptional circumstance.
For children to make the best possible progress, it is vital that their attendance is the best it can possibly be. Parents should consider very carefully the implications of taking a child out of school in term time and the impact on their child’s learning.
Attendance
Last term your child brought home a sheet containing important information about their attendance since September.
If your child’s attendance was in the yellow, orange or red sections it is extremely important that you make improving your child’s attendance an absolute priority this term. This is particularly urgent if their attendance was in the red section. This is to make sure that your child makes the best possible progress in all areas of their learning and development.
Class Newsletters
Your child will be bringing home a class newsletter for the summer term with important information about homework, PE days etc. Please read this carefully. Class newsletters are also available on the class pages on our school website.