Every day in school matters.

Regular attendance gives children the best opportunity to learn, build friendships, develop confidence and benefit from everything school has to offer. When children miss school, they miss learning and experiences that can be difficult to recreate.

At Brockmoor Primary School / Brierley Hill Primary School, we want every child to attend well and thrive. We also understand that there can be times when illness, medical needs or other difficulties affect attendance. Our approach is to work in partnership with children and families, understand what is getting in the way and provide support as early as possible.

The school day

School doors open at 8:40am and registers close at 8:50am.

Being on time matters. Arriving promptly helps children settle calmly, take part in the start of the school day and avoid missing important learning.

If your child arrives after the appropriate registration time, their attendance will be recorded in accordance with the statutory attendance codes.

If your child is absent

If your child is unable to attend school, parents and carers should contact the school on the first day of absence and explain the reason.

If we have not received an explanation for an absence, we will make contact with home. This is part of our attendance and safeguarding procedures.

Children should attend school whenever they are well enough to do so. We recognise, however, that some children have medical conditions or other needs that can affect attendance. Where this is the case, we will work with families and, where appropriate, health professionals and other services to support the child.

If you are unsure whether your child is well enough to attend, the NHS provides guidance for parents about common childhood illnesses.

Working together when attendance becomes a concern

We monitor attendance carefully so that we can identify concerns early.

Where attendance begins to fall, our first response is to understand why. We will talk with the child and family, identify any barriers to attendance and agree appropriate support.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include support from school staff, pastoral or SEND teams, health professionals or other services. We may also work with Dudley Council's Regional Education Partnership Service (REPS) where additional attendance support is needed.

Our aim is not simply to improve an attendance percentage. It is to remove barriers so that children can attend, belong, learn and achieve.

Persistent absence

A pupil is considered persistently absent when they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions.

We take persistent absence seriously because repeated absence means repeated loss of education. Where a pupil is persistently absent, or at risk of becoming so, we will work closely with the family to understand the causes, agree actions and monitor whether those actions are improving attendance.

Leave during term time

Parents and carers should avoid taking children out of school during term time.

Headteachers may only grant leave of absence during term time where exceptional circumstances apply. A family holiday would not normally be considered an exceptional circumstance.

Requests for leave should be made to the school in advance.

Unauthorised absence and penalty notices

Schools are required to consider further action where absence is unauthorised.

The national threshold for considering a penalty notice is 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a rolling period of 10 school weeks. This can include a combination of different types of unauthorised absence and can span different terms or school years.

Reaching the threshold does not mean that every family automatically receives a penalty notice. In line with national guidance, schools and the local authority consider the individual circumstances and whether support is appropriate. Where support is appropriate, the emphasis is on working with families first.

Further information about attendance procedures, authorised and unauthorised absence, penalty notices and the support available to families can be found in our BCF Attendance Policy.

How parents and carers can help

Parents and carers can make a significant difference by:

• ensuring their child attends school every day they are well enough to do so
• establishing positive morning and bedtime routines
• making sure their child arrives at school on time
• contacting school promptly when their child cannot attend
• arranging routine appointments outside school hours wherever possible
• avoiding holidays during term time
• talking to us early if something is making attendance difficult
• keeping school contact details up to date.

We are here to help

Attendance difficulties can have many causes. If your child is finding it difficult to attend school, please speak to us early.

We would much rather work with you to address a difficulty before it becomes a bigger problem.

Together, our aim is simple: every child in school, learning, belonging and thriving whenever they are well enough to be here.

Read our BCF Attendance Policy for full details of our attendance procedures and statutory responsibilities.