Attendance Officer: Mrs M Harries
Attendance Administrator: Mrs S Wade

Notifying Absence:

• Telephone: 01344 423041 (Option 1 - student absence) - please leave a voicemail or speak in person with Mrs Harries
• Via the MyChildAtSchool App

Please note, any previous email addresses are no longer channels by which you can notify us of student absence.

Attendance

On a school day the only place students should be is in school. Students are legally required to attend school every day and should only be absent in real emergencies.  If your child is not in school they must have a justified reason.  Please contact the Attendance Team by telephone on 01344 423041 (Option 1 - student absence) or notify us via the MyChildAtSchool app on the first day and every subsequent day of absence.  6 out of 10 students with an attendance rate of 95% or more gain at least 5 GCSE A* to C grades.  An attendance rate of 90% is equivalent to missing half a day of school per week!

Requests for leave of absence should be made in advance and returned to the Attendance Officer.  Forms are available from the Attendance Office or to download below.  The Absence request form should be completed in advance and returned to the Attendance Officer.

Being on time is a very important part of self-discipline and is essential to good time management.  Your child should always make sure they are in school on time and in the appropriate classroom at the right time.

We will do our utmost to encourage good attendance from our students and want all students to achieve at least 95% attendance. Our strategies may include phone calls from form tutors, letters home from the Heads of Year, Attendance Action Plan meetings in school or referrals to the Education Welfare Officer. Persistent late comers may even receive a phone call home before 8 o’clock to help them get into school each morning. Students who have exceptionally high attendance will be rewarded for their efforts.

Days off and persistent lateness all add up to a loss of learning

There are 190 school days each academic year during which your child is expected to attend.
There are 175 days off, which includes weekend, school and bank holiday.  This is your family time for visits, holidays, shopping, household jobs and other appointments.
If your child has 16 days off during the academic year then they will, over a whole year, be out of school more than they have attended (175 + 16 = 191).
A day out of school each week of your child’s entire school life is equivalent to missing 2 years of school!

 

% Attendance	= Absence	+ Days Missed per Year	Grades Lost	Weeks Missed	Years Lost
100	0	0	0	0	0
90	10	19	1	4	0.5
80	20	38	1-2	8	1
70	30	57		12	1.5
60	40	76	3-4	15	2
50	50	95	4-5	19	2.5
40	60	114		23	3
30	70	133		27	3.5
20	80	152		30	4
10	90	171		34	4.5

Punctuality

Punctuality is a very important part of self-discipline and is essential to good time management. Students must always make sure that they are in the appropriate classroom at the appropriate time.  Students must arrive by 8.30am in order to be in tutor or assembly by 8.40am.  If a student arrives in school after 8.35am they will be marked as late.  Late entry is via main reception as the student gate will be locked.  Detentions for punctuality will be held at the end of the day from 3.05pm to 3.45pm for Years 7 to 10 and from 3.40pm to 4.10pm for Year 11; parents will be notified by Classcharts during the day.

Minutes Late	School Days Lost Each Year
5	3
10	6.5
15	10
20	13
30	19

Please support your child and the school in making every effort to improve attendance and punctuality.

Section 444 of the Education Action 1996 states “if a child of compulsory school age, who is a registered pupil at school, fails to attend regularly at the school, the parents are guilty of an offence”.  This is applicable to all students of compulsory school age up to 16.

Appointments / Signing Out

In the unlikely event that you have an appointment or other reason to leave the school during the day, you must bring a letter from your parents explaining the details. You must get the letter signed by your Tutor. When the time arrives for you to leave school, show the letter to your teacher. Report to Main Reception to sign out and leave the letter for the Attendance Officer. On your return to school you must sign back in at Main Reception.

Holidays

Please do not to take holidays during term time, as this may be subject to a fixed penalty notice which is payable by parents.

Illness and Accidents

If you feel unwell or have an accident you must tell a teacher straight away. Normally you will be sent to the First Aider who will take care of you. If you are too ill to remain at school or if hospital treatment is necessary then your parents/carers will be contacted to make suitable arrangements. Under no circumstance should you leave the school premises without permission.

 

 

* Please note that Brakenhale School term dates may vary to those published for Bracknell Forest.