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Attendance
Good attendance is 97% or above. This has a positive impact on a child’s opportunities for progress and attainment. 90% or below is classed as ‘persistent absence’ and school attendance meetings will be convened to address this.
At BSL we like to celebrate attendance and from September 2024 we will be rewarding class level attendance as well as individuals who have excellent or improved attendance.
Click here to see our Attendance policy
Illness and appointments
When your child is going to be off school sick please call into the office on 01980 632309 as soon as possible and before 8:30am to let us know why they will be off.
If you child is sick, then we follow Public Health England guidelines regarding the period that a child needs to be kept from school. Please follow the guidance below and please don’t send your child to school if they are clearly unwell, as it may be passed onto other children and staff.
Where possible, please try to schedule routine appointments outside of the usual school day. We understand at times children will need to attend emergency appointments and sometimes it is not possible to choose a time, such as attending hospital or for exams, so please provide copies of relevant letters with the request for absence forms.
Guidance on infection prevention and control in schools
Click here for a Medical Leave of Absence Form
Approval for Term Time Absences.
A leave of absence will only be granted to a pupil during term time if the request meets the specific circumstances set out in the 2024 school attendance regulations.
We consider each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request. We will only grant a leave of absence to pupils during term time if they consider there to be 'exceptional circumstances'.
As a leave of absence will only be granted in exceptional circumstances, leave of absence will not be granted for the purposes of a family holiday.
Wiltshire Local Authority Information on Penalty Notices
The Local Authority (LA) has powers to issue Penalty Notices where the parent/carer is considered capable of but unwilling to secure an improvement in their child’s school attendance.
