Nursery Attendance

NURSERY ATTENDANCE AT THE GLAPTON ACADEMY

The following information applies to parents of Nursery children at The Glapton Academy We have a very successful whole school strategy of improving attendance through working in partnership with parents and children. 

Attendance at The Glapton Academy should be consistently above 95.5% and we need you and your child’s contribution to ensure that we attain this. The staff member responsible for attendance is the Attendance and Welfare Officer (Mrs Sharon Lang) and she is supported by the office team who are the first point of contact in the school for parents reporting absences. We expect all children to attend school every day unless they are very ill.We are aware that there will be occasional exceptional circumstances that will require individual support or alternative arrangements. We encourage parents to discuss any difficulties they may be experiencing with the staff team so that we can prevent your child being absent from Nursery. 

We will communicate with you if we are concerned about your child’s attendance. Please note that, if your child is frequently absent without a justifiable reason and his/her attendance drops below 95%, your child may lose his / her place. Good attendance and punctuality ensures that children develop good social skills, have full access to education and achieve their full potential. 

To put attendance into perspective, statistics show that a child who is absent for one day per fortnight will have missed one year of school (190 days) by the time they leave secondary education! Please note that parents are not entitled to take their child out of school for holidays (see Q9 below). The Academy regularly carries out nursery attendance audits and any child who has had over 10 days out of school may have their Nursery place withdrawn. Schools are only funded for children who actually attend the Nursery, so places will not be left open for children who go on holiday during term time. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. When does my child need to arrive at Nursery?
If your child has a morning nursery place they need to arrive promptly at 8.45 am. If your child has an afternoon nursery place they need to arrive promptly at 12.30 pm. All children must be accompanied to nursery by an adult.

Q2. Does my child have to arrive on time each day?

Please show your child that punctuality is important by making sure your child arrives on time each day. It can be very distressing for your child to come into a session when everyone else has started, so please make every effort to be on time.

Q3. Does the nursery need letters to explain my child’s absence or is a phone call enough?

We would expect a parent to telephone the school on 0115 9152936 on the first day of absence and to update us each day if the absence continues. We would appreciate a written explanation on your child’s return to school. Please also bring the doctor’s appointment card and any medication that a doctor has prescribed for your child into the school office. You will need to complete paperwork at the school office. If you experience difficulties with this, please speak to the Mrs Lang or Mrs Smith.

Q4. What reasons does the school accept for absence?

  • Genuine illness
  • Unavoidable urgent medical/dental appointments
  • Day of religious observance. One day only on the actual day of the observance in line with LA guidance
  • Family bereavement. If it is overseas we ask that you request permission in advance of booking any tickets.
  • Participation in approved public performance
  • In cases of urgent medical/dental appointments we ask parents to bring the appointment card to the school office.

We now have a waiting list for the Nursery. Therefore, please note that if your child is absent for a period of 2 weeks (10 school days) without adequate explanation, for which you can provide documentation, they may lose their place at nursery.

Q5. Can my child attend nursery when he/she is on medication?

Yes, your child can come back to nursery as soon as he/she is feeling better. You will need to bring the medication to the school office and complete a form allowing a member of staff to administer the medication.Please note that if your child has been vomiting or had diarrhoea then they have to stay at home for a period of 24 hours after it has stopped. Children with chicken pox should be absent for a minimum of 5 days from the onset of the rash.

Q6. What is an unacceptable reason for absence?

The school will not authorise absences for:

  • A child being tired
  • Day trips
  • Holidays
  • Birthdays
  • Visiting relatives
  • Collecting relatives from an airport
  • Shopping
  • Parent has to look after siblings who are ill. We ask that you make alternative arrangements for someone to look after the sibling whilst you bring your child to school
  • Parent illness. We ask that if you are ill and unable to bring your child to school you make arrangements for a friend or relative to bring your child to school
  • Parent unable to bring their child to school as they are away and their child is staying with a friend or relative who is unable to bring your child to school. We ask that you ensure that your friend or relative can bring your child to school prior to making arrangements to go away.
  • Attending the birth of a new sibling.
  • Parent unable to collect their child on time. We ask that you make alternative arrangements that day.
  • Non urgent medical or dental appointments.

  Please note that this list is not exhaustive.


Q8. Will the school contact me if my child is absent?

You are expected to contact the school yourself on the first day of your child’s absence on 0115 9152936. We will contact you if you have not contacted us first. 

Q9. Can we take family holidays during term time?

Family holidays must be taken during school holidays and NOT during term time.If in urgent and exceptional circumstances, you need to request permission for your child to accompany you on a family trip that cannot be avoided during term time, please complete a leave of absence request form (available through the school office) PRIOR to booking any tickets. You will need to provide evidence to show why the trip cannot take place during a school holiday period. The leave of absence form will need to be completed at least 4 weeks in advance of your trip.

The school has the right to refuse your request for leave of absence having given consideration to:

  • The reason for the request
  • The overall attendance pattern of your child.

Please note that taking your child out of nursery has a detrimental impact on them as they may have to go through the settling-in process again.Please note that if permission is not granted, any unauthorised absence could result in your child losing their place in Nursery