We use a variety of methods to communicate with our parents including:

phone calls 

Emails

My Child at School

• My Child at School (MCAS) 
•  https://www.mychildatschool.com/

Attendance and Punctuality

There are three categories of absence that can be authorised by school staff, these being sickness (including medical appointments), religious observance and the failure of county transport.  If a child is absent through illness, we ask parents to telephone, email the School or place on My Child at School (MCAS) l as early as possible on the first day of absence. 

Telephone number: 01444 400398

office@st-marks.w-sussex.sch.uk 

https://www.mychildatschool.com/

If we do not hear by 9:25am the School Secretary will try to make contact to ask why your child is not in School.  In the case of medical appointments we ask parents to let us know in advance in writing.

Sympathetic consideration is given should parents need leave of absence for their child for exceptional family circumstances.  Parents are asked to discuss any such absence with the Headteacher in advance; she will then be able to advise whether the absence will be authorised or unauthorised.  We appreciate that there may be occasions when it would be impossible to contact the School prior to an absence.

School attendance is a legal requirement and Pupil Entitlement can offer advice and support. Ofsted expects children to attend for at least 95% of all sessions.  Patterns of punctuality and attendance are established at a very early age and we do all that we can to work together to support families.  Schools are asked to set targets for keeping absences to minimum.

The Governors give the following guidance regarding family holidays:

The Governing Body is not authorising holidays in term time.  Taking time away from school during the term time reduces the time children have for learning and as such it is likely to be detrimental to their academic development.  Although we understand the reasons that may cause families to apply for this, the Governing Body would urge parents to make every endeavour to avoid time away from school during term time in order to protect the long-term educational development of their child.

New amendments under the Education (Pupil registration) (England) Regulations 2006 come into effect from 1^st September 2013. These state that the purpose of them is to “clarify that leave of absence shall not be granted by schools unless there are exceptional circumstances”.