Attendance

It is our task as staff at Bell Lane Primary School to promote and support our children’s learning and enable each one of them to achieve their full potential. 

The school staff, alongside the Local Authority, firmly believes that all pupils benefit from regular school attendance. We know that every day lost to education can have a serious impact on children’s attainment and overall progress in school. As a staff we do all we can to encourage parents and carers to ensure that the children in our care achieve maximum possible attendance and that any problems that prevent full attendance are identified and acted on promptly. 

Reporting Absence

If your child is absent from school for any reason then you must inform the school on the first day of absence by either:-

  • telephoning the school office on 020 82033115 stating your child's name, class and reason for absence and then send a note on their return to explain the absence; or
  • emailing the school office email account : office@belllane.barnetmail.net stating your child's name, class and reason for absence. 

Leave of Absence 

The school holiday dates are published a year in advance and parents/carers are expected to book their family holidays during those times. Leave of absence will not be granted for holidays to be taken in term time.

In exceptional circumstances when leave in term time is unavoidable, a leave of absence request form must be completed as soon as possible once the dates of the proposed period of absence are known. The Leave of Absence Request Form can be obtained from the school office or downloaded below.

No parent/carer can demand leave of absence for their child as a right. If leave is taken, without prior authorisation, the child’s absence will be recorded as unauthorised in the school register.

The Head Teacher will decide whether or not to authorise the absence having decided whether or not the circumstances are exceptional.

Should absence be taken without the Head Teacher’s authorisation the case will be referred to Education Welfare and a Penalty Notice may be issued.

Attendance