Term Dates
The school year is broken into three main blocks called terms: Autumn, Spring and Summer.
- September – December is Autumn Term – this has a one week half term holiday in October.
- January – March is Spring Term – this has one week half term holiday in February.
- April – July is Summer Term – this has a one week half term holiday in May.
Please find exact term dates below. This will show when our school will be taking our five training days (INSET days) – these are important days where teachers work together on specific projects or training.
We share these overviews to enable parents to make holiday arrangements outside of school term time.
Attendance
We highly value good attendance in our school because we know the positive impact it has on children’s learning and relationships.
We know our parents want their children to get on well in life. A good education at primary school will support your child in many ways: in being the best they can be academically; in developing positive friendships & social skills; in developing positive habits which will support them at secondary school & future work places. Research has shown a link between poor attendance and poorer outcomes for children – this is why attendance really matters.
Being on time for school is also vital. Arriving late at school can be very disruptive for your child, the teacher, and the other children in the class. Missing the first five minutes of the day can be disorientating for a child as this is typically when the timetable of the day is shared with the class. They can also miss the start of a lesson which means they are less likely to understand their work in mathematics or English for that day.
We care and want every child to be happy and to want to come to school. If your child has a worry or is unhappy about something in school please do talk to the class teacher – we want to help.
Our attendance figures are typically above the national average – our target is 97%. All children in our school have their attendance monitored. Attendance below 95% will be a concern and will be monitored close. Parents maybe asked to discuss attendance with the headteacher unless there is a known, persistent, medical issue. Children with attendance less than 90% fall into a Government category called ‘persistent absence’. Typically in our school this only happens occasionally for children with specific medical needs.
For more information on attendance, please see the below leaflet from Gloucestershire County Council:
Leaflet For Parents on School Attendance from GCC
Term Time Absence
Please ensure that medical/dentist appointments for their child are made outside of the school day where ever possible. Parents should call the office in advance of the appointment – this can be done through leaving a message on the voice mail service at school: 01453 822922. The pupil should be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary for the appointment.
Apply for other types of term-time absence as far in advance as possible of the requested absence dates – see form below or ask the admin officer for the form.
The headteacher can only grant a leave of absence to a pupil during term time if the request meets the specific circumstances set out in the 2024 school attendance regulations. They are usually ‘rare, significant, unavoidable and short’. This would typically include short absence for travel/attendance for the wedding of the child’s parents; funeral services; visiting a very sick close relative. This does not include extended leave around these events.