Dear GA Families

September 2022 marks the beginning of an exciting academic year for your child at Gloucester Academy.  High levels of student attendance are closely linked to academic success which has been evident in the exceptional results our students received this year.  Excellent attendance enables your child to ‘climb their own personal mountain to the very best universities and professions’.

As we enter a new school year, we wanted to take this opportunity to reinforce our message that attendance is paramount for your child’s success. It is incredibly important that habits of excellent school attendance and punctuality are quickly established and you can help us with that.

Here are ways you can support your child achieve excellence for attendance.

General Illness

If your child is suffering from any of the listed conditions, we would suggest administering some paracetamol or Ibuprofen first thing in the morning and sending them into school.  We will ensure that we monitor your child and will immediately call you should there be a deterioration in their condition. 

• Hay fever
• Colds
• Headaches
• Tiredness
• Sore throat
• Period problems:  provisions can be made in school for more frequent toilet breaks

To support you further, with your written consent, we can also keep medication in school, if any of these conditions occur on a regular basis. 

Injuries

If your child is suffering from an injury or condition that could make moving around the school building difficult, please contact us as there are many ways that we can ensure your child is able to access their lessons safely.

Infections and Contagious Illnesses

Importantly, if your child is diagnosed with a contagious or infectious condition such as Chicken Pox, Measles or indeed COVID, you should contact the school immediately and follow the guidance set out by the NHS and Public Health England.

Sickness and Diarrhoea

Should your child be suffering from continuous sickness or diarrhoea, then of course we would expect them to stay at home until this has subsided, however, if this is an isolated incident, it is unlikely to be contagious and 24 hours is ample time for your child to remain at home.

Medical Appointments

We are aware that there will be occasions where medical appointments will be arranged by the hospital/orthodontist/CAMHS and these cannot be changed, in these instances, please can you inform the school in advance and provide us with a copy of the letter/email confirming the appointment.

We would also remind you that all routine GP, dental and optician appointments should be made outside of the school day to minimise the disruption to learning.

Punctuality

The school day begins at 8.35am, any student arriving after 8.35am will have a late mark recorded in the register.  At 9.30 am we close our morning register and any student arriving after this time, will have a U code recorded in the register, this means that they were late after the close of registers and it is classed as an unauthorised absence.  Additionally, the local authority will issue a penalty notice for consistent evidence of persistent lateness over a 10-week period.

If your child is going to be absent, you must ensure that you call the school on 01452 428800 or email GAATTENDANCE@GLOUCESTERACADEMY.CO.UK by 8.30am on each day of the absence.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like further clarification or if there is something that may prevent your child from attending school that you feel we should be aware of.

Yours sincerely

Miss G. Bines

Associate Assistant Headteacher

gbines@gloucesteracademy.co.uk

01452 428800 ext. 1089