Absent notes to school

[lexcat]

Sorry if this is a silly question but is there a format to writing an absent note.
ie who do you adress it to, and what are the details that must be in it (like childs name)

Mine all look like this:

Address
Date

Dear (Class Teacher)

(DS) was not in school (date) due to an (whatever). He is fully recovered but please call me if he shows any signs of feeling poorly.

Yours sincerely,

BBBeee

Is it for permission to be absent? Or is it a ''X was absent today becasue of...''
At our school, just a short explanatry note to the form teacher seems to suffice. HTH

Hi Lex,

I am a teacher and just wanted to let you know that all teachers just really appreciate parents who take the time to write a note. It saves us endless time chasing up notes for the file, and shows a really courteous approach. How nice that you are bothered about getting it right!

It won't matter. Just mark all dates clearly so that it can be filed quickly, and remember to include a reason for the absence as the school will prob put this down as a code, i.e. illness, holiday, dentists.

You might want to check that a note is needed. SOME schools, although not all, have a policy that a phone call is considered enough.

You sound like a nice mum!

thanks everyone I have now written one and will be going in to dd book bag. Hate to come a cross to the school as an ignorant parent. Their a funny pair in the school office. Not a good idea to upset one of them as I find her a bit scarey.

oh lexcat don;t worry. It is hard as a new parent and people who have been there ages forget how strange it all is that there are so many things people just seem to 'know'.

I'm the nice one in our school office. We're like good cop/bad cop My colleague can be very scary.

TBH we prefer a phone call on the first day your child is absent. Then no note is needed.

I work in a school office 7 we do like a phone call, but our LA also inists on a note.
It doesn't have to be formal though, as long as it has the necessary information.
We had one once that said

Date
Dear Mr X
DS had the runs yesterday

Signature

It may not have been formal, but it did give us all the information we needed.

Not new dd is year 2 and still find her scary. she did have a fewer absents in reception and remeber phoning and thinking that was all I had to do. A week later I got a telling off because their had been no note. Wasn't scary of her then I am now so I try and keep her sweet and be a good parent. Word in the playground is she's fine if you alwayes get it right.

We don't do notes. We have to phone by 9:30am - otherwise they ring you on the basis that they assume that you have sent them and they havn't arrived so you need to know as they may have gone AWOL/missing/whatever on route to school.

TBH I usually go in and tell teacher as it is not often both DTDs are off together. I have never been asked for a letter so I have assumed that a phonecall/telling teacher is enough.