Attendance & Absences
Research shows that regular school attendance is linked to higher achievement. Arriving at school on time each day will enable your child to make the most of the rich learning and social experiences that Kew Riverside has to offer.
You can help us promote good attendance and punctuality by:
- Making sure that your child arrives in school promptly
- Talking to us about any difficulties you may be experiencing getting your child to school
- Making medical and dental appointments out of school hours
- Contacting us to let us know if your child is going to be absent and explaining the reason for the absence
It is essential that you contact the school office on the first day of your child’s absence and inform the staff of the reason for your child being away from school. If we do not hear from you by 9.30am on the first day of absence, you will be contacted by the school by telephone or email. It is important to keep your contact details up-to-date and provide two emergency contact details.
We have a duty to ensure that all absences are recorded as either ‘authorised’ or ‘unauthorised’. Absences can be authorised for illness, religious observance in the religion to which the parents belong, school visits, external examinations and other circumstances including family bereavement, at the discretion of the Headteacher. Please note that all holidays during term time will be recorded as ‘unauthorised’.
Requests for any absence, other than illness or medical appointments, must be notified in writing. You can do this in advance by completing the form at the end of the letter below. The request will be reviewed at a meeting with the Headteacher. The form can be submitted by email to: info@kewriverside.richmond.sch.uk or in person to the school office. It will not be considered without a meeting with the Headteacher or a member of leadership.
With the Education Welfare Service (EWS), we monitor our attendance and punctuality on a termly basis. Any attendance below 90% is automatically referred to the Education Welfare Service. If your child's attendance falls below 90% you will be informed and provided with an opportunity to discuss the reasons further and possible support strategies. Should your child’s attendance not improve, a referral to the Education Welfare Service (EWS) may be made.
The same procedures, as outlined above, will apply to children who are persistently late arriving for school.
For full details, please refer to the school's Attendance Policy here.