School attendance at St. Bernard's (in all school establishments really!) is VITALLY IMPORTANT. Your child's attendance really matters.

We continue to get lots of requests from parents for extended leave during term time. Please be aware that periods of extended leave will not be authorised during term time - if you take your child out of school for extended leave then you will be fined by the ELT. The Education Legal Team and Authority correspond with parents regarding this - they process financial fines, penalty notices, and can process court proceedings. Please remember this. The Authority and ELT work with every educational establishment. 

School holds regular attendance meetings with parents. All about supporting and challenging accordingly, in the best interests of the child/children. Every little helps! 

Please note...

It is vital that your child is in school every day and on time - a reminder that the school gates close at 8:45 each day (8.30am/8.45am). WINDOW of OPPORTUNITY of 15 minutes to get your child safely into school.

Of course we fully realise there can be genuine reasons for pupil absence (sickness, significant medical and underlying health issues/hospitalisation etc.). Just keep the school office informed accordingly. We know genuine sickness/illness can and does happen. It's part of school life up and down the country, and various bugs and illnesses can spread. 

The attendance table below is good to know...

As the attached table shows, even a small amount of time missed can have a huge impact on your child's development and could lead to them falling significantly behind their peers:

98% school attendance = 4 days absence = less than 1 week

95% school attendance = 9.5 days absence = nearly 2 weeks

90% school attendance = 19 days absence = nearly 4 weeks

85% school attendance = 28.5 days absence = nearly 6 weeks