The school day is split into two sessions, with two registration marks per day - one for the morning and one for the afternoon. Attendance is recorded per session; this means that if your child is unwell in the morning but feels better in the afternoon it is beneficial to bring them into school. Their attendance will be boosted and, more importantly, so will their education.  

8:35 The school gates open

8:45 The school day begins

8:55 Morning registration

8:55 The school gates close.  Any pupils arriving after this time must report to the school office.

9:25  The register closes and any pupils arriving after this time would be classed as having an unauthorised absence (U).

3:15 The school day finishes

At Oakwood Junior School, we believe that every child should be given the best possible chance of succeeding, we are here to support you and all of our children in the best way possible.

Parents are expected to contact the school every day of their child's absence by telephone or email by 8:30am. 

• Call 01332 571231 and choose option 2 to report the absence.
• Email admin@oakwoodj.odysseyct.org.uk

If we have not had any contact to explain the absence, we will send a safe and well text and then call the family. If we are unable to speak to anyone, we may do a safe and well home visit. If we are still unable to make contact, we will consider informing other agencies such as the police, social care or a health visitor.

Please see the table below showing expectations and the impact of absence on days and hours of learning lost. The expectation is that every pupil attending Oakwood Junior School maintains an attendance level of 96% or above. Once attendance falls below 93%, then this will be considered as a 'cause for concern'. 

If this happens, you will be contacted by letter in the first instance and you may be asked to come in for a meeting to discuss the matter further.

In cases of persistent absence, we will request medical authorisation before we mark an absence as illness. 

While we appreciate that some children are unwell from time to time and there can be exceptional circumstances for absences e.g. hospital attendances, please think carefully before allowing your child to be off school.  

The Department for Education states that no child is expected to be absent from school on holiday during term time. We expect parents will only take their child on holiday during the allocated school holidays, of which there are 175 a year to choose from. If your child needs to miss school, due to an exceptional holiday during term time, you must speak to the office and complete a leave of absence form.