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Home-school communication

Home-school communication is an important aspect of your child's education at Battling Brook. Communication is an area that we always actively try to improve. At the start of each term,  curriculum bulletins will be emailed home which will show areas to be covered in the forthcoming term. 

Children will also have home-school books for communicating key information and successes, such as team points. We encourage parents to sign these books on a weekly basis. 

There are formal consultation evenings in the Autumn and Spring terms, and an annual report is sent to parents towards the end of the Summer term. Curriculum evenings give parents the opportunity to see at first hand how various parts of the curriculum are taught. Parents are invited to class assemblies once a year to see their children perform.

All newsletters are available electronically via the website and often additional pictures are only available online. Urgent notices are placed on the community notice board close to the main gate or are posted on the website.

Please note that in the unlikely event of a school closure, information will be published on the school website, a message sent via our app and broadcast on local radio stations.  Please do not contact the school office as this can block the lines for urgent calls.

 

A member of the Senior Management Team will be available at the school gates each morning and afternoon for informal discussion. Alternatively, parents and carers may arrange a formal meeting with class teachers or a member of the management team.  Mrs Radford, the school Care Advisor, is also available most mornings without an appointment.

Absence notifications

If your child is absent due to illness, please let the school office know as soon as possible, using the main office email address, via telephone or via the School Gateway app.

Absence Applications

If you wish to take your child out of school, please complete an absence request form from the school office.  Schools are no longer able to grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

It has always been a legal requirement for permission to be sought from the Head Teacher if you are planning to take your child out of school during term time.  To comply, an absence request form must be submitted via the school office giving reasons for your request.  Please note that unauthorised absence of 5 days or more for a holiday will automatically be referred to the Local Authority with a request that a Penalty Notice be issued.

The school and its staff regard the regular attendance of children at school as being vital to each child’s education and development.  It is for this reason that non attendances (however short or infrequent) are treated seriously.  It remains the policy of the school to only sanction non-attendance during term time in exceptional circumstances.

If your child has unauthorised leave of absence you may either be issued with a Penalty Notice of £120 per parent per child (discounted to £60 if paid within 21 days), or, your case could be referred by the Local Authority directly to the Magistrates’ Court for the purposes of a criminal prosecution.