At St George's, we say:

We are together.

Being together means that we attend school every day. We know that every minute of a child's education counts. We know that pupils who attend school more regularly have the best opportunity to live out our vision statement and:

Be great. 

Rewarding High Attendance

At St George's, we value high attendance. We give certificates for pupils whose attendance is 100% each half term. In our school newsletters, we publish the highest attending class and compare our weekly school attendance to our target for the year, which is an ambitious 97%. At St George's, we are aiming for our attendance to be above pre-Covid levels. 

Reporting an unplanned absence or illness

When your child is unable to attend school, you must phone the school on 020 8699 5127 before 9am on each day of absence. We will always ask you for the reason why your child is unable to be at school so please include this in your phone message.

If your child is unable to attend school for medical reasons, it is important that we know the illness. In certain circumstances (e.g. impetigo or chicken pox) we will inform other parents, carers and staff.

Where absence is persistent (your child has 90% attendance or less), medical proof will be required. If your child is not in school and we have not been notified, then the school will call parents to find out where your child is.

Notifiable Illnesses

See the diagram below for guidance on how long your child should be off school and which illnesses you need to inform the school about.

Sickness & Diarrhoea

If your child has suffered from vomiting or diarrhoea, the advice from the HSC Public Health Agency is that children should remain at home for 48 hours following their last bout of illness. This is to prevent infection spreading, such as Norovirus.

This should not be confused with regurgitating food, e.g. following eating quickly and then running around.  

It should also not be confused with psychosomatic vomiting when a child feigns sickness or induces sickness due to an underlying anxiety relating to attending school.

Reporting a planned absence (such as doctor's appointments)

If your child has an appointment i.e. with a doctor, dentist or ophthalmologist, please email the school on admin@stgeorges.lewisham.sch.uk or phone on 020 8699 5127 prior to the appointment date. Please also inform the class teacher.

Appointments should be arranged outside of school time whenever possible or, when there is no alternative, at the beginning or end of the school day to minimise the impact on your child’s learning.

Request for term-time absence

Parents, you do not have the right to take your child out of school during term time. By law you must ask permission for your child to miss school. If you fail to gain the school’s permission you risk receiving a £120 penalty notice. 

If you would like to apply for permission for your child to be absent from school you must complete the form below and return it to the school for authorisation at least 10 school days in advance of the proposed leave. Forms are also available from the office. 

Please note that we are unable to authorise any absence during term times for holidays, even in cases where children have families overseas.

Punctuality

With every minute counting, we also expect children to arrive on time and ready for learning. In our classes, we start learning from the moment the pupils enter their classroom. Gates open from 8:45am and close at 8:50am.

Working with Lewisham

At St George's, we are lucky enough to work with an attendance officer from Lewisham. Laura is on site every other week and reviews pupils' attendance. If percentages are dropping she will meet to offer support and remind parents of their statutory duties regarding attendance. 

Our Policy

Please click on the attachment below to view our Attendance and Punctuality Policy.