Attendance & Absence

Welcome to the Attendance and Absence section of our website. On this page you will find information on how to report absences, information on absence requests, national guidance and useful information regarding isolation periods for sickness and illness.

What time does Westgate Academy open?

Gates open at 08:45am

Gates close 9.00am

Registers are taken at 9.00am.

Arrival after 09:05am is classed as late and is indicated by code L in the register.

My child is poorly. How long do they need to be off school?

Infection	Exclusion period	Comments
Athlete’s foot	None	Athlete’s foot is not a serious condition. Treatment is recommended.
Chicken pox	Five days from onset of rash and all the lesions have crusted over
Cold sores (herpes simplex)	None	Avoid kissing and contact with the sores. Cold sores are generally mild and heal without treatment
Conjunctivitis	None	If an outbreak/cluster occurs, consult your local HPT
Covid-19	Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people, where they can.	Children and young people with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend their education setting.
Diarrhoea and vomiting	Whilst symptomatic and 48 hours after the last symptoms.
Diphtheria *	Exclusion is essential. Always consult with your local HPT	Preventable by vaccination. Family contacts must be excluded until cleared to return by your local HPT
Flu (influenza)	Until recovered	Report outbreaks to your local HPT.
Glandular fever	None
Hand foot and mouth	None	Contact your local HPT if large numbers of children are affected. Exclusion may be considered in some circumstances
Head lice	None	Treatment recommended only when live lice seen
Hepatitis A*	Exclude until seven days after onset of jaundice (or 7 days after symptom onset if no jaundice)	In an outbreak of hepatitis A, your local HPT will advise on control measures
Hepatitis B, C, HIV	None	Hepatitis B and C and HIV are blood borne viruses that are not infectious through casual contact. Contact your local HPT for more advice
Impetigo	Until lesions are crusted /healed or 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment	Antibiotic treatment speeds healing and reduces the infectious period.
Measles*	Four days from onset of rash and recovered	Preventable by vaccination (2 doses of MMR). Promote MMR for all pupils and staff. Pregnant staff contacts should seek prompt advice from their GP or midwife
Meningococcal meningitis/ septicaemia	Until recovered	Meningitis ACWY and B are preventable by vaccination (see national schedule NHS Vaccinations). Your local HPT will advise on any action needed
Meningitis* due to other bacteria	Until recovered	Hib and pneumococcal meningitis are preventable by vaccination (see national schedule NHS Vaccinations) Your local HPT will advise on any action needed
Meningitis viral*	None	Milder illness than bacterial meningitis. Siblings and other close contacts of a case need not be excluded.
MRSA	None	Good hygiene, in particular handwashing and environmental cleaning, are important to minimise spread. Contact your local HPT for more information
Mumps*	Five days after onset of swelling	Preventable by vaccination with 2 doses of MMR (see national schedule NHS Vaccinations). Promote MMR for all pupils and staff.
Ringworm	Not usually required.	Treatment is needed.
Rubella (German measles)	Four days from onset of rash	Preventable by vaccination with 2 doses of MMR (see national schedule NHS Vaccinations). Promote MMR for all pupils and staff. Pregnant staff contacts should seek prompt advice from their GP or midwife
Scarlet fever	Exclude until 24hrs of appropriate antibiotic treatment completed	A person is infectious for 2-3 weeks if antibiotics are not administered. In the event of two or more suspected cases, please contact local health protection team.
Scabies	Can return after first treatment	Household and close contacts require treatment at the same time.
Slapped cheek /Fifth disease/Parvo virus B19	None (once rash has developed)	Pregnant contacts of case should consult with their GP or midwife.
Threadworms	None	Treatment recommended for child & household
Tonsillitis	None	There are many causes, but most cases are due to viruses and do not need an antibiotic treatment
Tuberculosis (TB)	Always consult your local HPT BEFORE disseminating information to staff/parents/carers	Only pulmonary (lung) TB is infectious to others. Needs close, prolonged contact to spread
Warts and verrucae	None	Verrucae should be covered in swimming pools, gyms and changing rooms
Whooping cough (pertussis)*	Two days from starting antibiotic treatment, or 21 days from onset of symptoms if no antibiotics	Preventable by vaccination. After treatment, non-infectious coughing may continue for many weeks. Your local HPT will organise any contact tracing

* Denotes a notifiable disease. It is a statutory requirement that doctors report a notifiable disease to the proper officer of the local authority (usually a consultant in communicable disease control).

My child is absent. What do I do?

Absence must be reported directly to the school office by the pupil’s parent/carer. Messages sent by a friend or neighbour will not be accepted.
You can email (enquiries@westgate.lincs.sch.uk), call (01522 528308), or come into school and report absence to reception.

We are planning to be away from school. What is the procedure?

Leave of absence forms are to be requested and completed at least 14days in advance. Please note, leave of absence will only be granted under exceptional circumstances and is at the discretion of the Headteacher. Holidays taken in term time are unauthorised and may incur a Fixed Penalty Notice per parent. Please see Attendance update document below for further information.

My child has a medical appointment. What should I do?

Other planned absences/appointments must be notified to the school office before the absence is taken. Proof of appointments such as copies of appointment letters/ texts/emails will be requested.

How do we manage attendance within school?

The Westgate Attendance team meet on a weekly basis to review pupil attendance. If a pupil’s attendance is less than 90%, then they become a ‘Persistent Absentee (PA)’.

Good attendance is is a legal requirement. It is also essential if your child is to benefit and take advantage of the educational opportunities that Westgate Academy has to offer. Parents of pupils identified as PA, or likely to be PA, will be notified electronically and invited into school for a panel meeting. The school must, however, consider each PA and decide whether a letter is appropriate, e.g. if the child has had a prolonged medical condition etc. Cases of persistent absence may be made known to the local authority attendance team.

If a child’s attendance is declining towards 90%, then the school will send a letter to parents informing them of this.