Welcome to the Attendance and Absence section of our website. On this page you will find information on how to report absences, information on what we need to do for absence requests, national guidance and useful information regarding isolation periods for sickness and viruses.

What time(s) does Westgate Academy open?

From September 2021, Westgate Academy will open at 08:45. Timings for staggered start this year are set out below. If pupils arrive before their entrance time, they will wait on the playground;

08:45     Year 3

08:50     Year 4

08:55     Year 5

09:00     Year 6

09:05     All gates close

Registers will close shortly after 09:05.

Lateness to registration (after 09:15) is indicated by code L in the register.

My child is poorly. Depending on the illness, how long do they need to be off school?

Using NHS policy (see below), we are stipulating that for specific illnesses and/or viruses, the allocated timeframes should be followed. For example, sickness and diarrhoea is 48 hours since the last episode;

My child is absent. What do I do?

Contact us as soon as possible on the first day of absence, this needs to be before 10:00;

• Absence must be reported directly to the school office by the pupil’s parent(s)/Carer(s) and/or Guardian(s). Messages sent by a friend or neighbour will not be accepted as an Authorised Absence;
• You can email (enquiries@westgate.lincs.sch.uk), call (01522 528308), or come into school and report absence reception.

We are planning to be away from school. What is the procedure?

• Leave of absence forms (see Attendance forms below or paper copies available from the school office) are to be requested and completed in advance. Please note leave of absence will only be granted under exceptional circumstances and is at the discretion of the head teacher. This can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

My child has a medical appointment. What should I do?

• Other planned absences/appointments must be notified before the absence is taken. Proof of appointments such as copies of appointment cards / letters will be requested.

How do we manage attendance within school?

Every half term, the academy convenes an internal meeting to review pupil attendance. If a pupil’s attendance is less than 90%, then they become a ‘Persistent Absentee (PA)’. Absence at this level is doing considerable damage to any child’s educational prospects and we need parents' fullest support and co-operation to tackle this. Absence is thoroughly monitored on a termly basis. Any pupils thought to be PA or likely to be PA will be closely monitored from week to week. If at the end of the half term a child’s percentage attendance is below 90%, a letter will be sent to parents informing them their attendance with a printout from the Integris system. The school must, however, consider each PA and decide whether a letter is appropriate, e.g. if the child has had a prolonged illness etc. Cases of persistent absence may be made known to the local authority attendance team.

If a child’s attendance is declining towards 90%, then the school will send an advisory letter to parents informing them of this.

At all stages, support is given through the STAN team.