Attendance

• All accidents are assessed by a trained first aider.
• Parents/carers will be contacted if further medical attention is advised.
• In emergencies, an ambulance will be called. If parents/carers cannot be reached, a staff member will accompany the child until a parent/carer arrives.
• Parents/carers will be notified as soon as possible.

Lead First Aider: Mrs Wombwell Contact: office@melbournvc.org

If your child is unwell and unable to attend school, you have a legal requirement to inform the school on each day of absence.

If you are reporting your child’s absence from school, please contact the Attendance Officer before 8am each day your child is absent, by phoning 01763 223400 or by emailing on absence@melbournvc.org providing the name of your child, their year group, tutor and the reason they are absent.

If you fail to inform the school, we are legally required to contact you, to ensure your child’s safety. Even if they have been absence on the previous day, we cannot assume they are still at home poorly. If you have contacted us, we may still contact you to discuss your child’s absence to help support you and your child.

If you need help and strategies to get your child into school more often; if you are worried about your child’s attendance or punctuality; if you need to talk to someone, please contact the school attendance team on 01763 223400 or you could speak to your child’s Pastoral Support Officer or Key Stage Lead.

You can also find information on support services on the Cambridge and Peterborough How Are You? Website (https://haycambridge.co.uk/)

If your child has an appointment you are required to give 2 school days’ notice where possible by emailing  absence@melbournvc.org  with the dates and timings your child is expected to be out of school. Your child should be in school prior to and after the appointment where possible. Where possible we ask parents/carers to avoid making medical, dental or any other appointments during the school day. We ask that parents/carers support and encourage your child to catch up on any work that they have missed when they have not been in school.

Please contact your child’s pastoral team for more support as working together we want to remove barriers to learning. Please see key contacts below specific to attendance.

• Students should inform their teacher (during lessons) or a member of the pastoral team (during breaks).
• A trained first aider will assess them in the medical room.
• If it is decided that your child needs to go home, parents/carers will be contacted to collect them.

Important notes:

• Parents/carers must keep contact details up to date and have arrangements in place for collection.
• A responsible adult must collect the child. If this is not a parent/carer, written permission must be provided from the registered parent/carer email.
• Students are not permitted to walk or cycle home alone if unwell.
• Mobile phones must not be used by students during the school day. If a child contacts parents directly to be collected, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.
• For urgent contact, please call reception. If a child needs to contact home, staff will phone on their behalf.

There are times when a child should not attend school due to illness. Please do not send your child to school if they are unwell.

• Vomiting or diarrhoea: Students must remain at home for 48 hours after the last episode.
• General illness: If your child is unwell, they should stay at home until they are fit to return.
• Further guidance: The NHS provides advice on when children should stay off school. See Is my child too ill for school?

Reporting absence: Parents/carers must contact the Attendance Officer before 8am each day of absence by:

• Phone: 01763 223400
• Email: absence@melbournvc.org Please include your child’s name, year group, and tutor group.

Parents/carers are responsible for their child’s health and must provide the school with details of their medical condition.

• Medicines must be supplied in the original container or box as dispensed by the pharmacist.
• Packaging must include:
  • Prescriber’s instructions for administration
  • Child’s name
  • Prescribed dose
  • Expiry date
• The school will not administer medicines that do not meet these requirements.
• If necessary, a copy of the medical protocol should also be provided.
• Please complete the form entitled “Authority for school to hold and administer prescribed medication” (available in the left menu) and return it to Reception.

If you would like to request a planned absence from school, please complete the Exceptional Leave Request Form and email the completed form to absence@melbournvc.org or drop it into our main reception at least 2 weeks prior to the absence.

Please note, changes to Section 444 of The Education Act 1996 brought into effect in September 2013, removes the right of Head Teachers to authorise term time leave; therefore all applications for leave in term time will be unauthorised unless there are exceptional circumstances that we are made aware of.

Please refer to Cambridge County Council for information on pupil absence from school and your legal position.

Prescribed medicines should only be taken at school when absolutely necessary. Please contact the Lead First Aider, Mrs Wombwell, or any member of the first aid team via reception for advice. Parents/carers must complete the appropriate form to either:

• Allow the school to hold and administer medication, or
• Permit the student to carry their own medication.

We expect students to arrive at school by 8.25am every morning. If a child misses the start of the day, they will miss key learning opportunities, important information and announcements.

Students need to arrive by 8.25am to ensure that tutors can take the morning register at 8.30am. Our morning tutor programme runs from 8.30am – 9.00am every day and is an important part of the school day for students.

Students who arrive late will need to enter school via the main door and will sign in giving a reason for their lateness. Lateness will result in a same day, after school detention for 30 minutes. If a student arrives after tutor time they will be given a U code for the am session, this is an unauthorised absence.

By law, parents/carers must provide written consent for a child to carry medication. Only certain conditions allow pupils to carry their own medication:

• Severe allergy causing anaphylaxis
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Migraine (depending on the medication – please discuss with the Lead First Aider)

Additional notes:

• Some children may need medication during or before exercise (e.g., inhalers). Please ensure your child has their medication with them during PE.
• PE staff can hold medication if required.
• All medication must be clearly labelled with the child’s name.

The Cam Academy Trust employs an Education Welfare Officer (EWO), Rachael Panther. The school and EWO always try to work with pupils and parents at an early stage to resolve problems. This is nearly always successful. However, the EWO also has a legal role and if other ways of resolving attendance have failed, these officers can use legal sanctions such as Penalty Notices or prosecutions in the Magistrates court. Families can ask for support from the EWO at any time should they want it. Requests for help from the EWO can be made by contacting absence@melbournvc.org

All vaccinations are provided by the Cambridgeshire School Immunisation Team.

• Phone: 0300 555 5055
• Website: NHS Vaccinations and When to Have Them