Reporting your Child's Absence due to Illness

We are now asking parents to log same-day absences for their children using the Parent Portal in the Arbor App. Please log into your Arbor App, access the Attendance section, input the absence details and submit the request. This will be sent directly to us via our MIS for approval. Please complete this form on the day of absence before 8.30am.

Please note that absence requests cannot be edited - they can only be deleted and recreated if changes are needed.

It is very important that you include the specific symptoms your child is experiencing. Simply stating they are 'unwell' is not sufficient.

If your child has experienced sickness or diarrhoea they can return to school 48 hours after their last bout. When reporting this please inform us when this occurred so we can mark them out for 48 hours. Please note all other illnesses need to be reported daily.

Please follow this link for a quick video on how to use the Arbor app to report an illness.

For your convenience, you can still report absences by calling our answer machine on 01442 871231 or by emailing admin@bridgewater.herts.sch.uk, but we’d really appreciate it if you could use the Arbor App whenever possible.

Most common ailments DO NOT require pupils to be absent from school. If in doubt please send your child in and a trained first aider will assess your child if required. The school will contact you if they think your child needs to go home.

If your child has a specific contagious condition that could be passed on to other children or staff, keep your child at home and contact your GP.

For more information on common ailments please refer to 'when to keep your child at home' page