Dear Parents,
Broadway Academy is continuing to focus on attendance and punctuality and we expect all student attendance to be at 97% or above.
Our current attendance target is 97%; we need your continuing support to ensure we hit this important mark.
Since September our attendance has been persistently above 97% with overall attendance for this academic year at 97.40%, well above the national average which is 94.60%. THANK YOU SO MUCH to those families who have been working hard to ensure children’s punctuality and attendance is high.
We currently have 451 students with 100% attendance. THANK YOU AND WELL DONE for getting these important habits established early on in your child’s life, as it will make a difference in their futures when applying for post-16 education or apprenticeships.
There is a clear link between attendance and achievement and therefore it is very important that your child attends every day possible. Broadway Academy’s attendance policy and processes are set out below.
Introduction
This is a successful school and your son/daughter plays their part in making it so. We aim for an environment which enables and encourages all members of the community to thrive for excellence as we believe it can be done.
For our students to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and that your child is at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.
Why are good attendance and punctuality important?
Education lays the vital foundations of a child’s life. Regular and punctual attendance at school is key to both academic and social development, which in turn will improve the life chances of our students. We currently have 395 students with no lates.
Lateness
Poor punctuality is not acceptable. If your son/daughter misses the start of the day, they can miss vital information during period 1 and, if they arrive late in the afternoon, vital information during tutor time. Late arriving students also disrupt lessons, which can be embarrassing for the child and can encourage internal truancy.
How we manage lateness
The school day starts at 8.35a.m. Monday – Thursday and 9.00a.m. on Friday. We expect your son/daughter to be in class at that time.
To ensure your child arrives for period 1 on time he/she will need to be through the school doors before 8.30 a.m. Monday – Thursday and 8.55 a.m. on Friday. If your child arrives after this time he/she will be recorded as late and will need to attend detention at lunchtime. If your child fails to arrive to the detention, he/she will automatically get an hour of pastoral detention on Tuesday or Thursday and you will be notified by text.
At 9.40a.m. the registers will be closed. In accordance with the Regulations, if your son/daughter arrives after that time they will receive a mark that shows them to be on site, but this will not count as a present mark and it will mean they have an unauthorised absence. This may mean that you could face the possibility of a Penalty Notice if the problem persists.
If your child has a persistent late record you will be asked to meet with your child’s Student Support Manager (SSM)/Student Support Assistant (SSA) and the Attendance Manager to resolve the problem, but you can approach us at any time if you are having problems getting your son/daughter to school on time.
First day response
If your child has not arrived at the Academy and we have not received a call, text, email or letter from you explaining why, then you will receive a phone call from your child’s SSA who will ask for a reason. If we still do not receive a response or a valid reason, our Attendance Welfare Officer and pastoral team will carry out a home visit to determine the reason for your child’s absence. A record will be kept of all efforts to contact parents/carers.
Letters home
Where appropriate, the Attendance team along with your child’s SSM will send you letters regarding absences and/or poor punctuality.
Students whose attendance drops below 96% will automatically receive a stage one letter.
Students whose attendance drops below 93% will automatically receive a stage two letter requesting parents to come and meet our Attendance Manager (Mr Sembhi) so that we can discuss your child’s attendance further.
If your child is persistently absent due to medical reasons and we have no supporting medical evidence you will be sent a medical letter requesting supporting evidence for your child’s absences. If we do not receive this, any future absences will be recorded as unauthorised.
Authorised and Unauthorised Absences
Authorised Absence
We will only authorise an absence if:
- The Academy has received a letter or phone call from the parent/carer explaining an absence and we agree that the reason is valid.
- Reasons which are valid include: illness, medical appointments (though families are encouraged to make these out of Academy hours), days of religious observance, interviews with prospective employment/colleges, study leave, exclusion, family bereavement.
Unauthorised Absence
An absence will be classed as unauthorised if:
- No reason for the absence has been given.
- A reason for an absence has been received but the Academy disagrees that the reason is valid.
- Reasons which are not valid include: tiredness, illness of a sibling or parent, a birthday, over-sleeping, going shopping, all-day medical appointment (unless it is a specific appointment that does last all day!), family holidays and not feeling like going to school.
If you have any concerns or questions about Broadway Academy’s attendance policy and processes, please contact the Attendance Team on 0121566 4356.
Thank you for your continued support.
Mr G Sembhi
Attendance Manager