School session times are:
School gates open 8.45 am
Morning school begins: 8.55am
Lunch: 12 noon
Afternoon school begins: 1.15pm
Afternoon school ends: 3.30pm
Regular and consistent attendance is essential in ensuring that pupils make good progress. Last year Bispham Drive Junior School were one of only 4 schools in the county to have no children deemed to be persistently absent.
Please see the link below which gives the government guidance on pupil attendance and absence followed by the school policy on requests for leave of absence.
DfE guidance on school attendance and absence
Every day counts
Good attendance in school leads to good progress
The law states that you do not have the right to take your child out of school for holidays during term time. The Local Authority works with schools to reduce the numbers of children missing school because of holidays taken in term time and schools can refuse your request to take your child out of school.
Schools are no longer allowed to authorise holiday requests except in ‘exceptional’ circumstances and a ‘leave of absence’ form must always be completed. Any holiday taken other than this will be recorded as ‘unauthorised’. This year any child with attendance of less than 90% is termed to be ‘persistently absent’ and schools may consider involving outside agencies to address the issue.
Any family wishing to take a leave of absence must complete a request form which is available from the office.
Exceptional circumstances are likely to be in line with examples below:
- Service personnel and other employees who are prevented from taking holidays during school holidays
- A family that needs to spend time together to support each other during or after a crisis
- Parents who are subject to a strict and non-negotiable holiday rota
All requests are subject to the headteachers’ decision and at their discretion.