One of the great things about working in a school is the endless variety in terms of pupils’ responses and reactions to their learning. This week I was delighted to be invited to join Year 2 as they performed the dance routine that they had been learning during their PE lesson. Year 6 also joined to watch and critique the performance. It was a joy to see the enthusiasm with which the children threw themselves into the routine as they moved with energy as chimpanzees, crocodiles and elephants across the floor. Year 2 loved hearing the positive feedback from the Year 6 children. It was one of the highlights of my week!
This week we say goodbye to a family who have given a great deal to our school community over many years. Karen Kersey and her family are relocating this weekend. The Kerseys have had two children at the school and Karen has been a Governor for eight years and our Chair of Governors since September 2022. We thank Karen for the time and effort that she has given to our school community; we have benefited greatly from her marketing skills over the years and wish her and her family well. Karen will continue in her role as Chair of Governors remotely until half-term, at which point a new Chair will be announced.
God bless,
Thomas Hall, Head of School
Attendance
Since the summer, the government has issued various advice to schools, parents and carers and medical professionals about school attendance. This was most recently encapsulated in this article on the BBC News website. Nationally, school attendance has fallen drastically since pre-pandemic times, with a range of reasons being cited, from heightened anxiety amongst young people, to school attendance being perceived by some as less important after the normality of various lockdowns. The government is now focused on increasing school attendance, which is why they are issuing more advice to all parties about illness and attendance. They are asking schools to have robust systems and high expectations of attendance, and also advising parents to ensure the highest possible attendance for their children.
Some of the government advice you will see in the links relate to mild illness, and the Chief Medical Officer's view that children should, if possible, come to school with mild illnesses, such as a cough or cold. The articles also include advice about hygiene and symptoms of colds versus more serious illnesses. I hope it is useful.
We know from experience and research that high attendance helps with academic performance, mental health, and social development; it also means that children can access all the opportunities of the core curriculum and extra-curricular activities being offered. We want to thank you for getting the children to school every day and on time, and continue to ask that you support us with this.
We are very keen to support any families and students who are having difficulties with attendance, whether that is due to ongoing illness, mental health or anxiety, or a different reason; Mrs Chalstrey (SENCO), Mrs Woodhams (Mental Health Lead) and Chris Albrecht (Home School Link Worker), are on hand to support you if you need it.
In line with our statutory responsibilities, we are expected to follow up with low or decreasing attendance, but we always do our best to be supportive in these duties. However, our remit from the government is to do everything we can to reduce low attendance and to eradicate unauthorised absence, which is why the school sometimes has to issue letters or open cases to the Surrey Inclusion Service. Please refer to my letter to parents and carers which discusses penalty notices and term time absence, e.g. for holidays.
Ultimately, we believe that high school attendance is vital for children and we will do whatever we can to support them, and you, with this; we hope you find the links useful.
Government-issued advice about attendance:
For parents:
https://www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/01/03/improving-school-attendance/
For schools:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-school-leaders-on-mild-illness-and-school-attendance/letter-to-school-leaders-on-mild-illness-and-school-attendance
For GPs:
https://bjgplife.com/the-role-of-the-gp-in-maximising-school-attendance/
