NHS UK
Is my child too ill for school? Find out when it's best to keep your sick child at home and when it's OK to send them to school or nursery.
NHS UKGood attendance is a high priority at Eppleton Academy Primary. We believe that it is essential that children attend school regularly if they are to achieve their potential. Absence not only adversely affects a child's attainment but also their personal and social skills. We value your support in helping us to maintain our high standards.
Please do not take a holiday during term time. Unless there are special circumstances, absences will be classed as unauthorised. Parents should write to Mrs Bushby with any such request.
We monitor attendance rates fortnightly and will inform parents if a child has dropped below the trigger. Our school attendance target is 96%.
We raise the profile of good attendance in school, with displays, workshops and assemblies which help children to explore the reasons why it is so important to come to school and what could happen if they don’t attend school regularly.
We continue to offer rewards to children with good attendance. Every term, children with 100% attendance are presented with a 'Golden Ticket'. This gives them a VIP pass to a special celebration event. Previous events, decided by the school council, have included picnics, egg hunts, movie time and parties. We also present children who have achieved 100% attendance for the whole year with a special award during our celebration/awards assembly in the Summer term. Each week, in our achievement assembly, we use our Classopoply board to celebrate class attendance. See below for more information about Classopoly.
As you can see, there are so many good reasons to have good attendance at school.
In our weekly celebration assembly, monitoring of class attendance is shared publicly and we use our ‘Classopoly Board’ to promote good attendance. All classes, who have achieved over 96%, partake in the game with a range of allocated awards depending on which square they land on.
We have had some amazing attendance prizes such as making pizzas, decorating biscuits and more.
It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, nursery or playgroup when they're unwell.
There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about health protection and managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn't. Click the link to find out more Gov.uk
Feeling anxious or worried
It's normal for children to feel a little anxious sometimes. They may get a tummy ache or headache, or have problems eating or sleeping. Avoiding school can make a child's anxiety about going to school worse. It's good to talk about any worries they may have such as bullying, friendship problems, school work or sensory problems. You can also work with school to find ways to help them. If your child is still struggling and it's affecting their everyday life, it might be good to talk to your GP or school nurse. To find information and advice about how to help children with anxiety click here
Coughs and colds
It's fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold. But if they have a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes. Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues and to wash their hands regularly.
We have recently started working closely with Healthy Heads Mental Health Support Team who are here to support children and young people who are struggling with mild- moderate mental health difficulties. This is a team based in Sunderland and provided by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and work with schools across Sunderland.
Healthy Heads offer mental health and well-being support to pupils and parents/ carers as well as supporting the school with our whole school approach to mental health and well-being. If you would like to know more about Healthy Heads, please visit our Health and Well-being page on our website or speak with a member of school staff.
We also work with Sarah Murray, a family support worker, who provides support for pupils and parents/ carers. Sarah will be around every Thursday, and you will see her at drop off and pick up times so that she becomes a familiar face. She has already started making contact with our children and some of our families. If she can be of any help to you please give her a shout or let us know.
"Hi! I'm Sarah Murray, Family Support Worker and I will be working at Eppleton Academy to offer emotional or practical advice when difficulties might arise as a parent/carer or to our children. We can help with lots of things such as attendance, health and well-being, finances and housing. I will be available for children and parents/carers to have a chat about anything they feel they might need support with.
Is my child too ill for school? Find out when it's best to keep your sick child at home and when it's OK to send them to school or nursery.
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