Attendance and Punctuality

 

“As Children’s Commissioner, I have made school attendance one of my top priorities because children tell me how much they value their education and want to be in school. Every day counts: when children miss school, it’s not just about missing lessons, it’s also about losing valuable moments spent with their friends and teachers.”

                                                                  – Rachel De Souza, Children’s Commissioner

 

Every day matters for your child’s attendance, we miss them when they are not in, and being in every day allows them to take advantage of the academic, pastoral, and extra-curricular opportunities available to them!

 

Expectations 

Good attendance and punctuality are essential if a young person is to succeed at the Academy, in fact research shows that there is a direct link between good attendance and academic progress and achievement. Extensive research shows that students with attendance above 97% receive much higher GCSE grades than those with lower attendance. Attendance is a whole-school responsibility and has a high profile at the Academy, and we regularly share students' attendance with them and discuss ways in which we can support students to improve their attendance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Punctuality when attending school is crucial. Lateness to tutor sessions and lessons causes disruption to your child’s learning and the learning of other students in the class. All students are expected to arrive in school by 08:45 in time for AM registration. Students arriving to school after the morning register closes will only receive 50% attendance for the day.

 

How can we help?

We work closely with parents and students to celebrate outstanding attendance. We offer a brilliant range of rewards for students with attendance above 97%, 100% attendance and also improved attendance. Our rewards include attendance to inflatable Final's Day, cinema days, vouchers, sweets, prize draws, certificates, Class Charts points, Head of Year Breakfast events, trips, and more!

Oasis Academy Brightstowe works closely with parents to support students and families to improve attendance, this is in the form of regular communication from tutors, year teams, support staff, and our Family Liaison Officer. Please get in touch with the school for support in improving your child's attendance - we miss them when they are not in!

If your child is unwell

We would not expect any parent to send their child to school if they are genuinely unwell. However, there are many occasions where students might start the day feeling unwell but they ‘perk up’ during the course of the day – sending them to school is the right cause of action. We will always contact you if they become too unwell to stay. Please contact the school by calling the absence line on 0117 316 7330 or emailing the school at hello@oasisbrightstowe.org to report that your child is unwell. Your child(ren)'s absence/s will be marked as unauthorised if a suitable reason is not given for the absence.

 

Medical Absences 

If your child is going to be absent for 3 consecutive days, we would request medical evidence to support the absence. If your child’s attendance is already of concern (and you have been made aware of this), you may be required to provide evidence for every absence.

 

Term Time Leave 

Students have 175 non-school days each year to spend on family time and appointments and we ask that you not take time out from school if these events can take place during the scheduled holidays. Students who are taken out of school during term time may find it hard to catch up and this can have a detrimental effect on their learning.

The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 makes clear that Principals may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances, according to DfE guidelines. This means that parents do not have the right to take their children out of school for holidays during term time. Any request for term time leave must be made in writing to the Principal at least 2 weeks in advance of the first day of absence. Leave of Absence request forms can be collected from reception.

Any unauthorised absence, including term time leave not agreed with the school, could result in a Penalty Notice being issued to each child for every child affected. Oasis Academy Brightstowe will request a Penalty Notice, if students take an unauthorised holiday during term time. It is not the school’s responsibility to issue work during term time leave as your child should be attending the school.

 

Referrals to the Education Welfare Service

If a student’s attendance continues to be of concern, then the OCL Attendance policy procedures will start. Continued unauthorised absence will result in a referral being made to the Attendance & Welfare Support Service at the Local Authority. This could result in a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued or the case could be considered by the Local Authority for prosecution in court.

 

How much is a Penalty Notice?

£80 if payment is made within 21 days, £160 if paid after this but within 28 days.

If payment is not made, the local authority is required to commence proceedings in the Magistrates Court for the original offence of unauthorised absence by your child. If proven, this can result in fines and/or a range of disposals such as Parenting Orders or Community Sentences. Criminal records may be received.

If a second penalty fine is issued to the same parent for the same child within a 3-year rolling period, the fine will automatically rise to £160 with no option to pay the lower rate of £80.

If a parent then commits a third offence in a 3-year rolling period, the local authority will need to consider other enforcement options available to them, which will  likely involve a court prosecution, which could lead to a £2500 fine, custodial sentence, and a criminal record.

"Bristol Guidance on Penalty Notice fines and prosecution information"

Contact

If you have questions regarding your child’s attendance at Oasis Brightstowe, please contact:

Year 7 Assistant Head of Year - Ms B Alfieri - bianca.alfieri@oasisbrightstowe.org

Year 8 Assistant Head of Year - Ms H Scott - helene.scott@oasisbrightstowe.org

Year 9 Assistant Head of Year - Ms T Spurgeon - tara.spurgeon@oasisbrightstowe.org

Year 10 Assistant Head of Year - Mr R Ormsby - rob.ormsby@oasisbrighstowe.org

Year 11 Assistant Head of Year - Miss K Mains - kirsty.mains@oasisbrighstowe.org

Family Liaison/ Attendance Officer - Mr J Barnes - jamie.barnes@oasisbrighstowe.org

 

For our Attendance Policy please see here