Asquith Road,

Bentley, Doncaster,

South Yorkshire. DN5 0NU

Tel: 01302 874385

Dear Parents,

Welcome to our school

A Creative Learning Community Committed to Excellence A warm welcome to you and thank you for your interest in our school, I hope that in ad-dition to reading this you have been able to visit the school. Personal contact is, we feel, an essential element of the successful home/school partnership which ensures that we can make the most of your child's abilities. There are numerous occasions during the year when parents join us in school but we encourage parents who have a particular concern or interest to contact us at the earli-est opportunity. My belief is that each child should reach his or her potential. I firmly believe that for this to be best achieved we need to establish a genuine partnership between home and school. When parents and teachers share agreed goals then the basis for a rich educa-tional career is firmly laid. We all want our children to be challenged academically, to feel secure, to feel valued and be proud of belonging to the community of Bentley New Village Primary School. I believe that through working in partnership with parents we can ensure children succeed and potential is fulfilled. I hope that this booklet will prove useful in that first step towards an understanding of the school and establishing a successful and happy primary school life for your child. We would be pleased to show parents around our school, so that the atmosphere and ethos can be experienced first hand. We welcome this as an opportunity to explain our aims and to be able to answer any questions that you may have. Bentley New Village Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. If you require any more information please do not hesitate to contact me.

L.Paradine

Headteacher

Contents Introduction School Community

Governing Body

Staff Members

Teaching Staff Responsibilities

The Friends of Bentley New Village

Breakfast & After School Clubs

Home, School and Community

The Children

Teaching Environment

The Curriculum

Behaviour

Special Educational Needs

Procedures

Admissions

Safeguarding

Medicines/Health Care Plans

Money and Valuables

Homework

School Uniform

Food and Drink

The School Day

Absence from School

Reference Information

SchoolWebsite

Diary Dates /Term Dates

Contents

Introduction Bentley New Village Primary School caters for children aged 3 – 11 years in the primary range. The School plays a key role in the life of the community, both as a School and as a Community Centre. We hope that this school brochure will help you and your child to understand more about our School community. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us. Head Teacher: Ms Lynne Paradine Address: Asquith Road Bentley Doncaster DN5 0NU Telephone: 01302 874385 Fax: 01302 874952 E-mail: admin@newvillage.doncaster.sch.uk Website: www.newvillage.doncaster.sch.uk

Introduction

Our Values As a school we have a set of values that drive our vision forward for this school. We want pupils to have the skills to make the right choices so they can take full advantage of learning opportunities. We see our school as a Creative Learning Community based on shared values and high expectations so we can all, pupils, staff and parents, work together to realise the vision, enabling our pupils to achieve their full potential. We see learning as a partnership based on respect between all involved, where effort, atti-tude and perseverance are encouraged, promoting independence so pupils know how to set goals and how to achieve them, pupils who strive for excellence; to do their best; to be proud of their own their achievements. Our staff work in partnership with the school community to inspire pupils to learn, to help them uncover their „hidden‟ talents‟ to challenge them to „strive for excellence‟- providing powerful rich and memorable learning experiences so as to develop their individual talents and gifts and ensuring pupils „feel safe, secure and happy‟ in a „positive environment‟. We will value and celebrate diversity, build a place where children recognise their own uniqueness and respect the uniqueness of others. We want to build a strong team, school and community spirit, We want to be seen as a fam-ily school, filled with joy, excitement and fun and an environment that stimulates and ex-cites. We aim to:

deliver a curriculum where children are encouraged to become literate, numer-ate and articulate deliver a curriculum, particularly in the Early Years, full of wonder, excitement, fun and enjoyment produce well rounded individuals with the skills and knowledge for success provide a stimulating, well-ordered environment, which is designed to meet the differing needs of the individual and where every child feels happy and secure. develop an enquiring mind and nurture a love of learning develop perseverance and determination to complete challenging tasks help children to be able to work in a variety of situations, developing coopera-tion, empathy and team spirit

Our Vision

A Creative Learning Community Committed to

Excellence

Constantly striving to find CREATIVE ways of pursuing

and achieving our goals

Engaged in LEARNING, staff and pupils alike excited by

school

A COMMUNITY, bound by strong values

COMMITTED to high quality learning activities

Caring deeply about achieving EXCELLENCE

We hope to provide a learning environment in which children and adults are able to realise their full potential. We encourage children to learn from their mistakes, and think about the conse-

quences of the actions they take with regard to their work and their behaviour.

School Aims

School Community Governing Body The Governing Body is made up of representatives of the Staff, Parents and the Community as well as having some members appointed by the Local Education Authority (LEA). They are all volunteers who give up their free time to ensure the school is managed effectively and to the benefit of the children. The Governors have various legal responsibilities and duties. They are responsible for the effective management of the school, for the school budget and for Health & Safety. They help to set, and monitor, the school philosophy and policies. Governors do not make detailed day to day decisions about the running of the school, this is the role of the Head Teacher, supported by the staff. The Chair or Clerk to the Governors can be contacted via the School Office.

LA Governors: Mrs D.Williams

Mr P.Lettin

Staff Governors: Miss L.Paradine (Headteacher)

Mrs C.Evans (Deputy Head Teacher) Mrs K.McKechnie

Mrs C.Ellicott

Parent Governors: Mrs C.Milburn Mr G.Donnelly

Mr P.Whitehead Mr P.Wright

Mr W.Bateman

Community Governors: Reverend S.Dickinson (Vice Chair)

Mrs D.Allott (Chair) PSCO C.Leggott

PSCO L.Ball

Clerk to the Governor Ms Sarah Millward

Associate Governors

Mrs G.Fox Mrs S.Walkden

School Community

The Friends of Bentley new Village

We are a group of parents and teaching assistants whose aim it is to support Bentley New Village School by raising funds which are used for helping make our school a better and more enjoyable place to learn in. The things you have helped buy through the various events held, and other activities going on throughout the year, are items which otherwise the school would not be able to get. All the monies raised is put to good use throughout school with „wish lists‟ from teaching staff for items they need that we can‟t afford from school budgets. This is why we are so grateful for all the help we receive from parents, be it by donating goods, buying tickets, attending our events and spending your money, or just by being a vol-unteer when help is needed. Any ideas from you would also be appreciated. Friends of New Village are always looking for volunteers to support the school. If you are interested in joining The Friends committee please contact the school office.

Breakfast Club & Afterschool Clubs

New Village runs a breakfast club every morning from 8am. This provides children with a healthy and warm start to the day. Breakfast cost 70p per day. A choice of Beans on Toast, a variety of cereals (including porridge), toast and juice.

The School promotes a policy of parents in part-nership. Parents are welcomed into the School and are fully informed of their child‟s progress. The curriculum will be regularly shared with par-ents through newsletters, workshops and open days. We want you to be informed, involved and interested in all aspects of school life. We operate an open door policy, whereby par-ents are always welcome. We hope you will be able to see and talk to the Teachers on a daily basis at the end of the school day. We ask par-

ents, wherever possible, to talk to their child‟s class teacher at the end of the day, rather than at the start as we want our teachers to be able to focus on the children from the minute they step through the door. If you have an important message we ask you to write it down in the Planners which every child receives at the beginning of a new school year or leave a message at the office. If your mes-sage is of a sensitive nature or it really cannot wait then please ask to see the Head Teacher. If you have a more serious discussion that requires longer time, we ask you to make an appointment, so we can ensure quality time without interruption and have relevant information available.

We also hope you will have time on a regular or one-off basis, to come into school to help or to share an area of expertise or interest to enrich the curriculum for the children. All our parent helpers are asked to complete Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks before they work in class or help on a trip to ensure the safety of our chil-dren. As a community school, we wish to promote seamless links between the community and the school, offering a wide range of opportunities for all, and to the mutual benefit of all. We welcome your suggestions of ways in which you would like to become involved and offers of assistance will be greatly appreciated. School security will be of paramount importance at all times.

Home, School and Community

The Children

As a School, we will be aiming to provide for the development of the whole child. The School encourages children to be actively involved in their learning. Quality teaching and learning opportunities will support individual needs and encourage children to identify future learning targets. A broad and balanced curriculum is offered to all children. It is our aim to make Bentley New Village Primary School a centre of excellence. We provide a caring, stimulating and exciting learning environment, where children feel valued as individuals and where everyone has a role to play in the life of the School. We hope it is a place where adults and children alike can reach their full potential. Equal opportunities are provided for all children, regardless of gender, race, religion or special needs. In our School, children are encouraged to fulfil their potential intellectually, physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. We aim to produce well-rounded individuals who have the skills and positive attitude to maximise all opportunities presented to them, so they can enjoy life to the full.

The Curriculum

Children are provided with a broad, balanced and exciting curriculum that is carefully planned to meet the needs of the individual children. The School aims to deliver a curriculum that is both stimulating and challenging through a topic work approach. All classrooms have Interactive Whiteboards. The school also continually updates ICT equipment and provision to promote ICT in other curriculum areas. To enrich the curriculum, a couple of weeks are set aside each year to focus on certain areas.

Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship Education Our Teachers and the School Nurse provide sex education for children in Year 6, their final year at Primary School. This will be part of a series of talks or a topic, which addresses the theme of healthy living. The subject will be handled in a very sensitive manner and all parents will be informed when this is to take place. As a parent you have the right to withdraw your child from sex education if you wish.

Religious Education The Religious Education (RE) curriculum will follow the Local Authority‟s agreed syllabus, emphasising a Christian approach to life while helping children to understand the religious and cultural diversity of today‟s society. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from both RE lessons and our daily act of Worship, if they wish, by notifying the Head Teacher in writing.

Extra Curricular Activities

Extra curricular activities are provided for children whenever possible. These include

-Sporting activities -Gymnastics -Technology -I.C.T -Study skills/Homework club

The homework club for Year 5 and 6 is a great success.

Assessment Pupils‟ progress is assessed by teachers throughout the year and reported to parents during parent-teacher meetings and in an annual written report during the summer term.

Above all, we encourage children of whatever ability to value and enjoy learning, to

have high expectations for themselves and to work to raise their achievement.

Teaching Environment

The code of conduct for pupils The way we expect children to behave at this school is in what we call our “Behaviour Code”.

These are displayed in all classrooms and public areas within the school. Your child‟s class

teacher will regularly discuss the rules with the children to help them to follow them in their

daily life within school.

Bentley New Village Behaviour Code

Through our Behaviour Code pupils at New Village are

encouraged to value: Honesty - telling the truth and being true to our word.

Tolerance - valuing the diversity, rights and property of

others.

Kindness - showing consideration to others. Responsibility - contributing positively to our whole

school community, by accepting the consequences

of actions and by agreeing and following simple

rules Perseverance - striving to achieve our best and valuing

also the achievements of bothers.

Co-operation - working together appropriately to achieve

our aims. Enjoyment - active involvement in school life and making

the most of our opportunities.

Rewards We have a strong reward system in school. All children are part of a „house‟- Hawks, Osprey, Fal-con and Kestrel and they regularly get house points for their team for good behaviour as well as good work. These are totalled up weekly and the winning team announced in Friday‟s achievement assembly. During the week children can also receive „Golden Team Points‟ which go into a prize box and two children from every class are chosen at random to receive a prize. In addition, we have our special Achievement Assemblies every half term. Children earn red stick-ers for outstanding behavior, attitude and perseverance. Children may also receive a postcard home for following the New Village Behaviour Code. On a daily basis, where children‟s behaviour is particularly noteworthy, teachers speak to individual parents at the end of the day. Children regularly visit the head teacher‟s office for rewards and praise for good behaviour .

Managing Good Behaviour

BULLYING

Bullying is defined as:

The repetitive, intentional hurting of one per-

son by another, where the relationship in-

volves an imbalance of power.

Bullying can be carried out physically, verbally,

emotionally or through cyberspace.‟ Children need to understand what bullying is and how it is different from a „fall out‟ between friends which is common in childhood. One-off incidents, whilst they may be very serious and must always be dealt with, do not fall within the definition of „bullying‟.

There are three widely acknowledged means of

bullying:

direct physical bullying (pushing, hitting, punch-

ing, kicking)

direct verbal bullying (yelling abuse at another,

name-calling, insulting someone, using verbal

threats)

indirect bullying, spreading rumours, social ex-

clusion, disclosing another‟s secrets to a third

party.

We take all incidents of bullying seriously and all

staff:

Are vigilant about bullying.

Are vigorous in investigating it.

Involve pupils in discussing it and countering it.

Record incidents of bullying.

Never ignore bullying.

Adopt a problem solving approach.

Give children time to talk.

Involve parents as early as possible

We want children to:

Be involved in the development and review of

behaviour and anti-bullying policies and prac-

tice.

Learn about what constitutes bullying and what to

do about it.

Have opportunities to develop the skills to resist

bullying and deal with bullying.

Be aware that knowing about bullying by or to

others and doing nothing is unacceptable.

Be made aware that it is „ok to tell‟ if they are be-

ing bullied or if they know someone else is

being bullied, and that they will receive practi-

cal help if they do so.

Be made aware of who to contact if they have

concerns about bullying.

We also take very seriously the five National Outcomes for children and the role of P.S.H.E. (Personal, Social, Health, Education) and Citizen-ship and the rights of the child. We always give the very highest priority to these five elements in the curriculum we deliver and the way in which we work. Five Outcomes

1. Being Healthy enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle. 2. Staying Safe being protected from harm and

neglect and growing up able to look after themselves. 3. Enjoying and Achieving getting the most out of life and

developing skills for adulthood.

4. Making a Positive Contribution being involved with the community socially and not engaging in anti-social or offending behaviour. 5. Economic Wellbeing not being prevented by social or economic disadvantage from achieving their full potential. We regard the education of children‟s Social, Emotional and Behavioural skills to be of equal importance to their academic skills. Unless these aspects are in place children cannot fully access the learning opportunities presented.

Every Child Matters

A number of children will have Additional Educational Needs of some type at some time whilst they are at school. So, there are always children in the school who have difficulties or dis-abilities that make it harder for them to learn than the majority of children of their age. These children may need help that is extra to or different from their classmates. The way in which we help these children depends upon the nature of their difficulties – whether it is a physical disability, a sensory impairment (hearing or sight), a communication difficulty, a learning difficulty or a difficulty with behaving appropriately in school. Whatever the reason for the child‟s difficulty the class teacher will let the Additional Needs co-ordinator know that they are concerned about the lack of progress being made by a child, and then:

parents will be told about the concerns and asked their opinion

the nature of the problem will be more ac-curately identified, possibly through tests given by school or the educational psy-chologist,

once parents have been informed, the child will be placed on the Additional Needs Register

a special learning programme, called an IEP (Individual Education Plan) will be

made for the teacher to work to with the child

Depending upon the severity of the difficulty, the extra help may only be required for a few months. But, for a number of children this help will be needed for some or all of their time in school. If the difficulties are more severe then the school can ask the Local Education Authority to start an investigation which could result in the child receiving a „Statement of Educational Needs‟. This means that the Authority may fund extra support in the classroom or different materials and equipment so that the child can still be taught the National Curriculum. In some cases specialist teachers may visit the school to work with a child for a period of time each week, or they may give the class teacher and learning support staff advice and support. For people with physical disabilities there is wheel chair access to the school at three main entrances. There is also parking facilities and a toilet for physically disabled people. If you require any more information about Addi-tional Educational Needs in our school our Addi-tional Education Needs Co-ordinator, or the Head, will be happy to talk to you. Please leave your telephone number with the office staff so that arrangements can be made.

ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Procedures

We welcome admissions from all children irrespective of their needs or disabilities. We value diversity and believe that all pupils are of equal value. Bentley New Village Primary School has an Equal Opportunities Policy and does not discriminate against any individuals. We actively promote a caring ethos within our school. Our building meets all existing requirements for children and adults with physical disabilities as laid down under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. We have a 52 place Nursery which children can attend as soon as they are 3 years old. If you would like a place for your child you should apply as early as possible. Parents arriving in the catchment area with older children, or who are considering sending their children to the school for any other reason are invited to contact the school to arrange a visit and discuss the admission with the Head teacher.

The Board of Governors has agreed to adopt the current LA admissions policy which can be downloaded from: Website: www.doncaster.gov.uk Further information/guidance can also be found

at:

DMBC Admissions PO Box 266, The Council House, College Road, Doncaster, DN1 3AD. Tel: 01302 736083 or 737234 or 737204 or 737205

Email: admissions@doncaster.gov.uk

Admissions

Working Together to Safeguard Children

Bentley New Village Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share

this commitment.

Important information for you and your child

The Children Act 2004 introduced new ways to help and support children, young people and their

families. These processes include:

Information Sharing

Common Assessment Framework

Multi-agency Working

What Bentley New Village Primary School

expects from you as a parent or carer:

Tell us if:

There is anything in your child‟s life that we

need to know. Things that happen outside

school can affect your child while they‟re

with us. Please talk to us – we might be

able to help.

There is a reason why your child is not at-

tending, by ringing us on 01302 874385.

on the first day of absence.

If your child no longer needs his/her place

with us.

What YOU can expect from

Bentley New Village Primary School

A safe, quality, learning environment that

meets Ofsted regulations and operates

under Safeguarding Children legislation &

guidance.

While your child is attending our establish-

ment, we will be taking good care of them

and we will talk to you about anything im-

portant that we observe.

Regular, efficient and accurate record

keeping.

If your child transfers to another school or

educational setting, we will share any im-

portant information with them that will help

to support your child‟s move.

Contact from us when your child hasn‟t

attended and you have not let us know the

reason for their absence.

Prompt action to any problem you tell us

about.

Support and assistance from staff when

needed.

Let’s work together!

If any parent or carer has a concern about the safety of any child or young person in this education setting, there are people who can help.

The people in our safeguarding team are:

Mrs Paradine – Designated Person Mrs Evans – Deputy Designated Person Mrs Walkden – Safeguarding and Child Protection Governor Mrs Fox - Safeguarding and Child Protection Governor

All these people are happy to help you to support your child. If none are available, the staff in Reception will always offer support to contact the appropriate staff.

Further information/guidance can also be found at:

www.doncastersafeguardingchildren.co.uk

Bentley New Village Primary School is committed to safeguarding and pro-moting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and vol-

unteers to share this commitment.

If your child needs medication it is generally felt they should be at home. We are not allowed to keep or administer medicines in school; however, we accept there are exceptional situations when it may be necessary to give a child medication during the school day. In these circumstances an “Administration of Medicines To A Child”

Form (available in the School Office) must be completed before any medicines are adminis-tered, and all medicines handed into the School Office.

The medicines must be clearly labelled with your child‟s name and the dosage defined on the out-side of the bottle or box. The School will try their best to administer any medication but it remains the responsibility of the parent. It is also the re-sponsibility of the parent to check that all medica-tion kept in school is up to date and replaced prior to expiry date. When a child goes on a school trip, the medication will be signed out of the office and upon return from the trip will be signed back in again and returned to its appropri-ate location in school.

Medicines

Items of value should never be brought to school and essential monies should be given immedi-ately to a teacher, in a clearly marked envelope.

Toys hidden in bags will become a source of ar-gument, especially when swapped or damaged, so please leave them at home.…………………………………

All children have weekly homework, recorded in their weekly planners. This is an excellent way to promote the partnership between school and home and we expect you to support your child with this. We ask you to hear your child read, ask them questions about the book and write a comment in their planner on a regular basis.

Each piece of homework will be reinforcing some-thing already taught in class that week. It will be explained to your child in school and come with a covering note for you. We ask parents at least to acknowledge that they have seen the homework. It is really useful if you can add a comment, especially if your child has struggled with, or found the homework easy.

Money and Valuables

Homework

For health and safety reasons children cannot be allowed to wear jewellery of any kind during PE lessons. Children who cannot remove ear studs themselves should not wear them to school on those days.

Ears which have recently been pierced can be taped with micropore tape until the six weeks are completed.

Jewellery

When children are in School, they are part of a community and by wearing a simple school uni-form we hope to promote a feeling of equality, partnership and belonging. We will, therefore, encourage school uniform for all children. The School colours and clothing are as follows: Girls

Grey skirt, pinafore or grey school trousers

Blue blouse or white polo shirt

School sweatshirt/cardigan (with school logo)

Summer

Blue and white checked dress Boys

Grey trousers

Blue shirt or white polo shirt

School sweatshirt (with School logo)

PE

White t-shirt

Blue shorts

Plimsolls or trainers

Tracksuit or jogging bottoms in cold weather

The School sweatshirts, cardigans and book bags are all available from the school office.; We expect the children to wear sensible shoes – no trainers - with white or grey socks/tights. We would also like you to ensure the shoes allow the child to run about and get the most out of their playtimes. It is important, therefore, to ensure your child‟s shoes/boots do not have a high heel. School fleeces are also available to purchase. For Health and Safety reasons, jewellery is not allowed with the exception of inexpensive watches, stud or small hoop or sleeper earrings

School Uniform

The kitchen provides excellent school meals and packed lunches. Money for school meals should always be sent on a Monday clearly marked in an envelope with your child‟s name. If your child qualifies for free school lunches, you can either pick up a claim form from the school office or claim directly at:

Financial Services Benefits Section

Colonades House Duke Street Doncaster DN1 1ER

Tel: 01302 734123 Our school meals provide very flexible options. We provide menu‟s for the forthcoming term to help you choose which meals you want for your child. The cost is £2 per meal.

If you prefer, your child can bring a packed lunch to school from home, in that case a letter must written to the office letting us know that your child is starting with packed lunches. Our packed lunch policy fits within a wider context of promoting a whole school approach to food and healthy eat-ing. Children‟s packed lunches should be based on the „Eatwell Plate‟ model (www.eatwell.gov.uk) which shows items the 5 main food groups; Packed lunches should include 1 portion of these foods. If your child is having a packed lunch, glass bottles and fizzy drinks are not allowed.

Food and Drink School Meals

We believe that drinking water during the day is vital for the well being of the child. All children are encouraged to drink at break and lunch times. Drinks may be bought in from home as long as they are not fizzy nor in glass bottles. We ask that all containers be named. Alternatively plastic wa-ter bottles can be purchased from school.

Children under 5 are provided with free milk until they reach their fifth birthday. In Key Stage 1 children can have milk everyday at a cost of £9.50 per term. This should be paid on the first day of each new term

Drinks

Example: Spaghetti Bolognaise

Cheese and Egg Salad Crusty Wedge

Broccoli and cauliflower

Bakewell Tart and Custard Fruit Smoothie Sponge Finger

The Salad Bar is available everyday

The School Day

Session Times For the Nursery: morning session - 8.45am to 11.45am afternoon session - 12.45pm to 3.45pm For children in Reception and Yrs. 1 and 2: morning session - 8.55am to 12.10 noon afternoon session - 1.15pm to 3.30pm For children in Yrs. 3 to 6: morning session - 8.55am to 12.00noon afternoon session - 1.00pm to 3.30 pm

Parents are advised that they should ensure that their children arrive at school on time for the morn-ing session bell, but not much earlier than this. There is no supervision of the playgrounds before the morning session starts at 8.55am and a child arriving at school too early may be at risk. Children should be encouraged to leave home at a reason-able time in order to arrive a few minutes before the bell. In the interests of safety, parents bringing chil-dren will be expected to wait outside the school building in a morning until the bell is rung at 8.55am. If it is necessary to bring smaller children

into the school first thing then they must be closely supervised by parents and kept away from equip-ment and materials which have been set-out for the classes.

Parents will also be expected to wait outside the school building until the end of afternoon school at 3.30pm.

Again this is for the safety of children, particularly in the event of an emergency when it may be neces-sary at any time to evacuate the building. For safety reasons pushchairs are not allowed on the corridors at any time.

Lessons start at 8.55am for all children in the school, and it is important to

learn the good habit of punctuality from the start of your child’s school life.

Please help them to arrive at school on time to avoid disturbing their class

by arriving late.

Anyone taking a family holiday or is looking to take their child out of school during term time is asked to complete a request form for “Authorised Absence” (available from the School Office in advance. The Form will be returned to parents confirming whether it will be classed as “authorised or unauthorised”. Our preference is that children are not taken out of school during term time. However we do appreciate that this is not always possible and request that family holidays are limited to no more than two weeks (10 days). Absence requests may not necessarily be authorised; previous attendance and educational needs will be taken into account. Any absence is only authorized at the discretion of the Head Teacher.

If your child is ill, please keep him/her at home until he/she is fully recovered. It is important that Parent‟s contact the school on the child‟s first day of absence to confirm reason for not attending school and this is supported by a note upon the child‟s return. The School has a computerised attendance system and it is essential that all absence are reported to school. Any unexplained absences will be termed as “unauthorised”. Rates of pupil absence in 2008/09 were as follows: Authorised absence = Unauthorised absence =

Absence from School