Absence & Illness
Requests for Authorised Absence
Parents and carers are requested not to take their children out of school during term time, as missing school means missing out on vital lessons and key areas of learning. With approximately 175 non-school days available across a calendar year, we strongly encourage families to use this time for non-urgent medical and any other appointments to support your child’s good attendance.
Holidays can no longer be authorised in term time, as detailed in this letter below.
Penalty Notices for Term-Time Holidays
Penalty Notices FAQs - Oxfordshire County Council
Permission for absence can only be given in highly exceptional circumstances and parents and carers must apply to the Headteacher at least 2 weeks in advance using the form below; retrospective approval is not possible.
Exceptional Leave of Absence Request letter & form
No absence will be authorised during practice or public examination periods. We may ask Oxfordshire County Council to issue a penalty notice for a fine if students are taken out of school for an unauthorised purpose.
The school uses an absence monitoring process to help support good attendance, and will contact the parents/carers of students who surpass absence monitoring thresholds to check there are no wider issues that are acting as a barrier to attendance. We work with parents/carers to offer support, looking to ensure students can return to school as swiftly as possible.
Please note that the school is obliged to report attendance below 90% to the Local Authority Attendance and Engagement Service, as this is considered persistant absence.
Read our Attendance Guide for Parents below for further details on our absence montoring process and how we support good attendance at Fitzharrys School.
Attendance Guide for Parents 2023
Visit our Expectations and Policies pages for more information.
Illness
Fitzharrys School considers its duty of care to students of utmost importance. Whilst attendance is always very strongly encouraged to support your child’s progress, children should not attend school if they are clearly too unwell, have a temperature, or have experienced vomiting and/or diarrhoea within the last 48 hours. Children attending school are expected to take part in all activities unless they have a letter from a parent. This NHS webpage: Is My Child Too Ill for School provides useful detailed information, and the NHS poster linked below provides a useful summary to save for quick reference.
Managing illness at school
If a child is taken ill at school, they should alert a member of staff who will alert a first aider. If they remain unwell, the Head of Year may give permission for them to go home once parents and carers have been contacted. In the case of accidental injury, parents and carers will also be notified as soon as possible.
Students should not contact parents directly or leave the premises without the consent of the Head of Year. Please ensure that emergency contact details are kept up-to-date at school for this reason. It is crucial that the school is made aware of any special medical conditions your child may have to ensure they receive the right care; this information will always be treated confidentially. Please contact Student Services to register updates in contact details and medical details.
To ensure student safety, school staff cannot administer any non-prescribed or prescribed medicines to students without prior written permission from parents and carers. In the event of a student needing non-prescription pain relief during the school day, parental permission will always need to be obtained. If a student regularly suffers from acute pain, such as migraine, parents and carers must authorise in writing and supply the appropriate painkiller for their child’s use which should be given straight to Student Services for safe-keeping.
For further guidance, visit our Policies pages.
