Attendance & Punctuality

In order to ensure all students achieve success in school, excellent attendance is essential. DfE statistics confirm that students with 100% attendance are three times more likely to achieve strong passes across the curriculum than those students with less than 97% attendance. Students learn best and receive most from the Academy when they are present.

Attendance is celebrated regularly and is highlighted in all reports to Parents throughout the year. We have a graduated response to absence with interventions taking place from the first day a student is absent. These interventions include a text message and phone call home if the Parent/Carer has not informed the school of the absence, if it is deemed necessary a home visit by the Attendance Officer or Education Welfare Officer may be conducted. The attendance policy is formulated via a ‘staged approach’ with FT monitoring, letters home, attendance clinics, HOY meetings, SLT meetings and other outside intervention as appropriate.

What does Good Attendance look like?

If a student does not attend school or is not taking part in an approved educational activity, they are classed as absent from school. This means that if your child is off school for any reason, even if they are ill or have medical permission to be off school, they are classed as absent.

Less than 97% attendance every year in school equals one GCSE grade dropped on average. Consequently, all students at BHA should aspire to achieve 100% attendance, if they are to fulfil their learning potential. Good attendance is also useful preparation for the workplace, where an absence rate of 5% or above would be considered a cause for concern.

**Research suggests that 17 missed school days a year = 1 GCSE grade drop across ALL subjects.

PLEASE BE AWARE – Even if an absence is authorized attendance % is still affected

At BHA, we are committed to sustained, high year-on-year attendance and we believe students and parents/carers can make a significant contribution to this by building supportive partnerships with school. Our parents and carers are key facilitators in ensuring students are encouraged to have strong attendance and punctuality. In short, the importance of your role cannot be overstated.

Processes

Electronic registration enables our staff at all levels to contribute to a culture that is responsive to and rewards positive attendance. More importantly, accurate registration information provides an early warning system for use in intervention and support for those students and families for whom poor attendance is an emerging or ongoing problem.

We have a legal responsibility to complete formal registrations for the morning and afternoon session of school, in order to meet statutory responsibilities to parents/carers and other agencies in providing accurate punctuality information about individual students and school cohorts.

Reporting Absence:

We ask you to contact the Pastoral Office (01782 233595) to explain a student’s absence. We kindly request you do this before the start of the school day at 8:20am

Monitoring and Rewards

Attendance and punctuality are rewarded every two weeks. Those students who have managed two weeks of full attendance with no late marks are placed into a Year Leader draw. Students can win various prizes as a result of their excellent attendance and punctuality.

Unavoidable Time Off

We ask our parents/carers not to keep students off school unless the absence is absolutely unavoidable. Where this is the case please can parents/carers:

Contact school on the first day of absence to provide a reason for non-attendance.

Request leave of absence in term time for exceptional circumstance only by completing a form.

Work with the school and any other agency to resolve any difficulties which may affect regular school attendance.

Holidays During Term Time

At BHA, we do not expect holidays to be taken in term time as this has an impact on students’ progress. Leave of absence can be requested, however it will be authorised only in exceptional circumstances.

Please be aware that if you choose to take a holiday with your child during term time, the Local Authority will be informed. A Fixed Penalty Notice will then be issued in accordance with section 444 of the Education Act 1996. The amount of the penalty is £60 per parent/carer if paid within 21 days, increasing thereafter if left unpaid.