Telephone: 01234 745200 Email: rivertree@biltt.org
Rivertree Free School is part of Bedford Inclusive Learning and Training Trust
Company Number: 08156641
Attendance
Good attendance at school is key to success. Missing school for any reason can cause your child to fall behind in their learning.
Sometimes children also find it difficult to settle back into school after a break.
In the longer term, evidence shows that reduced levels of attendance are likely to affect the progress of any child, whatever their needs or ability, and can also result in lower levels of qualifications being achieved.
At Rivertree Free School we consider 96% and above to be good attendance.
This attendance rate is giving your child the opportunity to achieve and succeed, not just now but throughout their life.
What to do if your Child is Unwell
It’s important that you contact us as soon as possible on the first day of any absence by phoning school on 01234 745200.
We’ll need to know the reason for the absence so that we can record it correctly. If your child is absent for more than one day, it’s essential that you keep us updated daily or give us a definite return date.
If you don’t contact school, you will receive a telephone call, or text, asking you to explain your child’s absence.
Following up absences in this way is a legal obligation for all schools but we also do it to make sure your child is safe and that you are aware that they are not in school.
In the case of unexplained and/or persistent absence, you will be contacted in the first instance by our Attendance Officer, Mrs Sirena Hand, and will be sent a letter informing you of your child’s attendance level.
Please also be aware that where pupils miss a lot of school through illness, schools are expected to investigate. We will request medical evidence before agreeing to authorise such absences.
Your co-operation and support in this matter is greatly appreciated.
Our full Attendance Policy can be viewed here.
Holidays During Term Time
Missing school for any reason is likely to hinder a child’s educational opportunities and hamper their progress at school. Although we acknowledge that parents may sometimes prefer to take holidays outside of school holidays, this must be balanced against the effect on their child’s progress at school.
The effect of this change means that the government expects it to be extremely unusual for leave of absence, including for holidays in term time, to be permitted by schools.
If in exceptional circumstances you need to request a leave of absence, please complete the below holiday form as soon as possible.
Both the school and the Local Authority take the issue of school attendance very seriously and parents should be aware that where leave of absence is taken during term time without permission, they may be issued with Education Penalty Notice fines.
We encourage and reward good attendance by operating an attendance incentive programme which helps pupils to monitor their own attendance. Inclusion in our half-termly rewards afternoons is also conditional on good attendance.