Emergency Contact Details

When you register your child at Morley, you will receive a form requesting information about emergency contact numbers. Please return the completed form to school as soon as possible and please let us know if the numbers change at any time, this avoids any delays or frustrations in making contact with you.

Absence

If you know that your child is going to be absent from school, please tell us in advance. If your child is sick please let us know by 9.00am by phone or e-mail. If your child becomes ill during the day we will contact you.

Absences are authorised for illness, medical/dental appointments, & days of religious observance. Absence without permission will be recorded as unauthorised absence. Schools are required to publish levels of unauthorised absence which are considered to be indicative of a school’s performance. Morley achieved an attendance of  94% for the 2022/23 school year.

Term Time Leave

At Morley Memorial Primary School, we are committed to giving all our children every opportunity to do well at school. As such, we believe that regular attendance at school is essential to enable children to make progress. Holidays in term time are not an entitlement. As a result of the inevitable disruption caused to learning if holidays are taken during term time, and in line with Local Authority guidance, we do not authorise holidays in term time. Short term  absence may be granted, at the discretion of the headteacher, in very exceptional circumstances where absence it is short, rare and unavoidable.

Exceptional circumstances might include:

• There has recently been a death or significant other trauma in the family and it is felt that an immediate holiday might help the child concerned better deal with the situation;
• The parent is a member of the armed forces on leave from active duty abroad and can only have family holiday during this period.

The cheaper cost of holidays in term-time is not regarded as an exceptional circumstance. The school provides a calendar of school term and holiday dates so that parents/carers are appropriately informed and given notice so that they can book holiday/time off from work to coincide with the school holidays (of which there are usually 13 weeks spread throughout the year).

If the school does not grant permission and parents/carers take their child on holiday, the absence will be classified as unauthorised absence, that is, as truancy, and the matter may be referred to the school’s Local Authority Attendance Officer who may begin legal proceedings.  The current fine attached to a Penalty Notice is £60 per child, per parent/carer.  For further information see the Cambridgeshire County Council website: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/children-and-families/schools-&-learning/education-your-rights-and-responsibilities/non-attendance-and-the-law/ 

The gates open at 8:40 and are closed at 8:45 a.m.  It is important that children arrive at school on time at the beginning of each session. Children arriving after 8.45am will be marked as late or as an unauthorised absence if arriving after 9:10, unless this is due to a medical appointment which has been notified in advance.