Reporting Absence

Should your child be absent from school we will need to be contacted before 9:00 am on the first day of absence on 01473 728564. Alternatively, we can be contacted via info@murrayfieldprimary.co.uk. We will need to be kept informed of any subsequent days through the same means.

We also need to be informed if you have to take your child out for a medical appointment and in term holiday requests will need to be made at least three weeks in advance via a holiday form which can be collected from the school office. We would point out that in term holiday requests are likely to be unauthorised, except for certain circumstances, as this is a policy of the Trust and in line with Department of Education guidelines as children need to be in school to get the best education they can.

Illness

The Department for Education (DfE) has provided school leaders with a clinical and public health perspective on mild illnesses and school attendance.

There is wide agreement among health professionals and educational professionals that school attendance is vital to the life chances of children and young people. Being in school improves health, wellbeing and socialisation throughout the life course. The greatest benefits come from children and young people attending school regularly.

It is usually appropriate for parents and carers to send their children to school with mild respiratory illnesses. This would include general cold symptoms: a minor cough, runny nose or sore throat. However, children should not be sent to school if they have a temperature of 38°C or above. We encourage you to look at the NHS guide ‘Is my child too ill for school?’ which gives you further advice and support around a number of common mild illnesses and ailments.