If my child is too ill for school - Parents/Carers responsibility

The pupil’s parent must notify the school of the reason for the absence on the first day of an unplanned absence by 9.30am or as soon as practically possible, by calling the school office, who can be contacted via telephone, by email  info@stjosephs-epsom.surrey.sch.uk or via Arbor. 

We will mark absence due to physical or mental illness as authorised, unless the school has a genuine concern about the authenticity of the illness.  Where the absence is longer than five days, or there are doubts about the authenticity of the illness, the school will ask for medical evidence, such as a doctor’s note, prescription, appointment card or other appropriate form of evidence. We will not ask for medical evidence unnecessarily.

If the school is not satisfied about the authenticity of the illness, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and parents will be notified of this in advance.

For further information, see the Attendance Policy in Welcome Information/Policies

Exceptional Unauthorised Leave of Absence in Term Time

Children are expected to attend school 100% of the time. There is no entitlement in law to time off in school time to go on holiday. All absences which are not authorised by the Head teacher are classified as 'unauthorised leave of absence' in accordance with The Education Regulations 2013 and Surrey County Council's Code of Conduct. 

The school holiday dates are published a year in advance and we strongly advise parents and carers to book their family holidays during the school holidays. Any savings that you think you may make by taking an unauthorised leave of absence during school time are offset by the cost to your child’s education.

In line with government recommendations regarding school absences, unauthorised absences of 10 sessions or more (5 days) within a rolling period of 10 school weeks will be subject to a penalty notice. More details can be found on the policies page in our school Attendance Policy.

Also below, there are forms which must be completed in advance of any absence and submitted to the Head teacher for authorisation.