School Prospectus - Transport and Attendance
Only children in possession of a bus pass may travel on the school bus. If your child wishes to take a friend home on the bus, you must contact the bus company for permission, first to ensure there is a spare seat, and secondly for insurance purposes.
Free transport is provided for pupils up to eight years old and living more than two miles from the school provided for them. In the case of pupils older than eight years, the distance is three miles. Children who live in Aston Somerville or Hinton-on-the-Green travel by bus and arrive in school at approximately 8.50a.m. At the end of the day the children are supervised by a member of staff until the coach arrives at 3.25p.m. If your child is not travelling on the bus for any reason would you please inform the school in writing. Verbal messages from the child will not be accepted, and in the absence of a written request your child will be sent home on the bus as usual.
In conjunction with the LEA we have a ‘Travel Plan’, and if certain targets are met the Government rewards us with a grant. One of these targets is a bus Code of Conduct. Parents are asked to impress on their children the dangers of misbehaving on the school bus, and the need to wear their seat belts and to remain seated at all times.
Can we please encourage local families to walk or cycle to and from school, and to lift-share if at all possible. (This is another of our Travel Plan targets.)
Parents carrying children to and from school by car are asked to keep clear of the yellow lines, the school gates, the school bus and the back gate to the playground. Children should be supervised at all times.
Medical and Emergency Arrangements
There is no legal requirement for staff in school to administer medicines to pupils, unless in specific cases with hospital guidance. Children requiring long term medication should be taught to be responsible for their own drugs, and asthmatics and diabetics particularly are encouraged to take charge of their own medication.
If the timing is of importance parents are encouraged to come to school to administer the medicine themselves. If your child is unwell they should not be at school.
In the event of sudden illness or accident you will be contacted as soon as possible. To assist in this you will be asked to complete a form with contact names and telephone numbers where you can be reached. Please inform us of any specific medical information, i.e. allergy to penicillin, asthmatic, etc.
If your child has a stomach upset please ensure they do not return to school until twenty-four hours after the symptoms are clear.
School Attendance and School Holidays
During the year 2006/2007 our rate of authorised absence was 4.2% and the rate of unauthorised absence was 0%. It is the parents' responsibility to inform schools of the reason for a pupil's absence as soon as possible, preferably by telephone or personal contact before 9.00 a.m. If we do not receive this information, we will follow this up with a telephone call home. When a child is ill the school should be notified of the nature of the illness. Schools are required to report to their Education Authority any cases of prolonged absence or irregular attendance, and these will be investigated by an Educational Welfare Officer.
Regulations state that the school is responsible for authorising absence, not the parents. Excessive amounts of authorised absence can seriously disrupt continuity of learning and encourage disaffection.
Absences which can be authorised cover illness, medical or dental appointments, family bereavements and religious observance.
Absences which cannot be authorised not only cover obvious examples such as truancy or lateness, but also shopping, birthday treats, visits to shows and theme parks, even where the parent has given 'permission', and written a note. In such cases, or where no explanation is forthcoming, the absence must be treated as 'unauthorised' and shown as such on a pupil's report.
Regulations give schools discretion to grant leave of absence for a family holiday for a period not exceeding two weeks. Only in exceptional circumstances, leave of absence may be granted in excess of two weeks. It cannot be demanded as of right by parents. Parents seeking leave of absence should complete a holiday application form obtainable from the school office. The school will try to accommodate all reasonable requests but there is no doubt that holidays taken in school time do have an adverse effect on a pupil's progress. Parents should not expect, or be led to expect, that as of right, schools will agree to family holidays during term time. Each application will need to be considered on its merit.