Attendance

We encourage every student to aim for 100% attendance, to maximise their learning opportunities and help them achieve their full potential. Students who maintain excellent attendance achieve more, and make better progress, both academically and socially.

Parent/Carer Legal Responsibilities
As a parent/carer, you have a legal responsibility to ensure your child receives a full-time education.

You must ensure that your child attends the school, where they are registered, until the last Friday in June, in the academic year in which they reach the age of sixteen.

Bradford Local Authority has a legal duty to ensure all parents/carers fulfil this responsibility.

Registers and Absence
Attendance is recorded twice a day to ensure your child is present. Your child must follow procedures to get their registration marked if they are present. All absences will be checked, and messages will be sent home to parents/carers of absent students. 

Absences are either authorised or unauthorised. The law is clear that schools, not parents, authorise absences. You should contact the Attendance Officer to ask permission for an absence or explain why your child is unable to attend. If you do not get permission and keep your child off school, you will be breaking the law and can be fined or taken to court for prosecution.

Penalties
The school will exercise its legal power to address your child’s poor attendance by issuing penalties.

Fines: Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 (Section 23) allows a fine to be issued to a parent/carer. The Local Authority can issue a fine when a student’s absence has not been authorised by the school. This is issued to both parents/carers for each child. The fine is £80 per child if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days. If you do not pay the fine after 28 days, you could be prosecuted.

What can Parents/Carers do?

Ensure your child attends school every day, showing that education is important. Take an interest in their schoolwork, talk to them about school, and inform us promptly of any problems so we can provide support.

Reasons your Child does not want to go to school:

• Illness/Mental Health
   Any health problem that keeps your child away from school regularly should be investigated
   by a medical practitioner (GP). Contact us as soon as possible to discuss how we can help.
   You may also need to contact your doctor and/or seek specialist help.

• Issues at Home
   Tiredness due to poor sleep, illness, housing problems, debt, bereavement, divorce, stress and
   domestic violence will affect your child. Contact us about Pastoral Support for your child.

• Bullying
   This is a common reason for children refusing to go to school and is a concern for parents/carers. We have a
   zero tolerance of bullying and immediate action is taken to address any issue, where it is noticed and/or
   reported. Contact us as soon as possible, so we can help.

• Problems with Learning
   Your child may feel they are struggling and this may not always be obvious. Please talk to your child and
   contact the school to discuss your concerns.

• Pastoral Staff - Form tutors/Student Support Officers 
   Available for parent/carer to help with your child’s difficulties. Extra help, such as counselling, for your
   child at times of crisis and stress. Links with outside agencies/ services who may be able to help.
 

What if your Child’s Attendance does not improve?
If attendance does not improve despite support from the school, you will be failing in your responsibility of ensuring the regular attendance of your child and you can be liable for a penalty or legal proceedings from Bradford Council.
 

Bradford Council Intervention

Bradford Council may issue a Penalty Notice if a pupil has 10 or more missed sessions (morning or afternoon) within 10 school weeks. Late arrivals over 30 minutes count as unauthorised.

Before a Penalty Notice is issued, you will receive a written warning outlining your child’s non-attendance and the potential for a Penalty Notice. Multiple notices may be sent if more than one child has poor attendance.

During this period, your child must not have any further unauthorised absences from school or a Penalty Notice will be issued.

Note: Warning Notices are not issued for absences due to leave taken during term time – parents or carers will receive a Penalty Notice only.

Penalty Notice

If a child misses 10 or more sessions due to an unapproved absence within a 10-week period a Penalty Notice will be issued. The fine will be £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days or £160 per parent, per child if paid between 22 and 28 days. If the penalty notice remains unpaid, legal action may be taken and could lead to a fine of up to £2,500. Cases found guilty in Magistrate Court can show on a parent’s future DBS certificate, due to a failure to safeguard a child’s education.

Only two penalty notices can be issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling three-year period, with the second notice carrying a charge of £160 per parent, per child. Any further offences within the three-year period may lead to legal action being taken and prosecution.

Bradford council can no longer issue a penalty notice on the third occasion, instead the council will usually prosecute the parent.

Note: You must pay the penalty/fine in one payment – you cannot pay in instalments or just pay part of the fine.

Attendance vs Outcomes

What is good attendance?

We strive for 100% attendance for all our pupils. Any attendance below 97% will result in an intervention to help support the pupil and their family. The ladder above shows the impact of poor attendance on attainment.

The Government considers a pupil with attendance of 90% and below as a Persistent Absentee. At Bronte Girls’ Academy we work in partnership with families to help reduce the level of Persistent Absentees, in order to maximise educational opportunities for all our pupils.

How to Report an Absence

1. The parent/carer must phone the school on each day of absence. You must call before 9.00am, to report your child’s absence.

• Telephone: 01274 044 055.
• The phone line is open from 8.00am.

If you do not speak to a member of staff select ‘Press 1’ and leave a message (You can leave a message anytime, 24 hours a day).

2. Whether you speak to a member of staff, or you leave a message, please tell us:

1. Your child’s name.

2. Your child’s year group.

3. The date of the absence.

4. The reason for the absence.

5. The expected date of return.

If you wish to discuss your child’s absence, please leave your telephone number and ask us to return your call.