Attending School

At Cann Bridge, we recognise that we play an important role in the life of your child. School is where they will develop new skills, make friends, and have access to a wide range of exciting learning and enrichment opportunities. When your child misses school, they miss out on these vital opportunities, and their learning and friendships may suffer. We all want the best for our children and for them to be as independent as possible. To achieve this, it is important for children and young people to get as much benefit as possible from their time at school.

Good attendance is a key part of this. While children are in school, they can make the most of all the opportunities available to them.

We recognise that for many of the children and young people who attend Cann Bridge School, their complex needs and medical issues are often the reason for their absence. We would like to assure you that we understand this and will deal with each case of absence on an individual basis. However, we would ask you to bear in mind that while 90% attendance might sound good, a child with 90% attendance is missing a significant amount of learning time — the equivalent of approximately 4 weeks a year.

There will be times when children miss school due to illness, medical appointments, or other appointments. We understand and expect this, and at these times, it is important to ensure you let the school know.

On the first day of absence, please call the school before 9:15 AM to inform us that your child is off and provide the reason for the absence.

We ask that you complete a leave of absence form for any time your child may need to be away from school. This includes:

• Holidays — please be very clear about why the holiday cannot be taken during the usual school holidays. There must be exceptional circumstances.
• Special family occasions, such as a wedding or funeral.
• Religious observances.
• Medical or other appointments.

Leave of absence forms are available from the school reception or downloadable from this page.

If you have any difficulties getting your child to school, please talk to us.

If your child is prone to illness or has a medical condition that causes frequent absences, we can work with you and the Local Authority to maximise their time in school and ensure they can get the most out of their education without negatively impacting their health.