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Attendance, Punctuality & Holidays
Attendance Facts
The Birkenhead Park School is committed to ensuring our students make the best progress they are capable of, therefore good attendance is essential. For any child to gain the greatest benefit from their education, it is vital that they attend school regularly. We expect 100% attendance, although we understand there are times that students are unwell. Once a student's attendance drops below 97%, you will be contacted by school.
We are currently running attendance competitions for our students. Please see below for full details of what we expect from our students regarding their attendance.
Punctuality
The school day starts at 8:35am and we expect all students arrive at their Form Class by that time. School recommends that students arrive at school by 8:30am. Students who arrive after 8:35am will be marked as late and will complete a Break Detention on the same day. Students who arrive after 10am, or students who fail to complete Break Detention, will be issued with a Pastoral Detention after school on that day.
Any child who has 3 or more lates in a week will serve a pastoral detention after school with their Year Leader.
Any child who has 4 or more lates will serve a detention after school with a member of the SLT team.
Birkenhead Park School will inform you daily if your child arrives late for school. Persistent lateness can result in a referral to the Local Authority and attract further sanctions, such as the issuing of an Education Penalty Notice.
Why Regular attendance is important
The Birkenhead Park School is committed to ensuring that our students make the best progress they are capable of, therefore great attendance is essential. Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and will seriously affect their learning. Absence disrupts teaching routines so will affect the learning of your child and others. Just 1 day's absence equals 5 hours of lost learning.
Our focus on attendance at Birkenhead Park School is a key part of keeping our students safe. This is because persistent absenteeism and changes in patterns of attendance are an indicator that something is wrong, and as a school we have a duty of care to take action. Regular absence, particularly unexplained absence, is a red flag for Safeguarding issues, such as neglect and child exploitation. Any child not attending school regularly will be reviewed by our Designated Safeguarding Lead and this may result in referrals to other agencies, including Social Care.
Reporting An Absence
Parents should phone school each day by 8.30am, unless the student has been advised to remain off school, for a specific period of time. Where this is the case, medical evidence should be provided, so the absence can be authorised. If we do not hear from you Birkenhead Park School will contact you daily via In Touch in the form of a text message. You can reply to this free of charge.
Absences can also be reported via email at office@birkenheadparkschool.com, and include the following information:
• Student name
• Tutor Group
• Reason for absence
• Possible length of time the student will be out of school
School will NOT authorise any absence at the start or end of a school term unless supported by medical evidence. Please see the updated DofE guidance below regarding increased fines for unauthorised absences.
Leave of Absence
Leave of Absence during term time, will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Holidays are not exceptional circumstances and will not be authorised. If you need to apply for Leave of Absence, please ask your son/daughter to request an application for leave during term time, which you can complete via the link here or by clicking the button below, or collect from school. This must be done at least four weeks before your requested time off, to allow the school to process it.
Any period of leave taken without the agreement of the school, or in excess of that agreed, will be classed as unauthorised and may attract sanctions such as an Education Penalty Notice. Please see updated DofE guidance on fines below:
National Framework for Attendance Penalty Notices 2024-25
Holidays
Although there are 14 weeks of school holidays each year, far too many students are missing school because they are being taken on family holidays in term-time. Any loss of learning is bound to have an effect on their eventual overall success. In Years 10 & 11 any time lost will almost certainly have an impact on their ability to achieve their best at GCSE.
It is important that you realise that holiday absence is classified in exactly the same way as any other absence and for every five days missed your child’s overall attendance percentage will reduce by 2.5%. Reports on attendance are the most requested piece of information from prospective employers and training institutions when references are requested.
The Local Governing Body have agreed that the school will not authorise any absences for family holidays unless there are extreme, personal circumstances. Whilst we recognise the enormous financial pressures associated with family holidays, we have no option but to put your daughter’s/son’s education and life-chances first. The vast majority of our parents already fully support this principle and I hope you understand that our motives are in the best interests of your child.
Under new guidelines issued, if your child has 5 or more days off due to holidays you may receive a fixed penalty notice from the Education Social Welfare Service.
Attendance Team
The Birkenhead Park school has an Attendance Team which consists of:
Miss Tisdale: BEPART Trust Senior Attendance Manager - Year 7 - Telephone - 0151 652 1574. Ext 2221
Email: kti@birkenheadparkschool.com
Mrs Boulton: Attendance Officer - Year 8 - Telephone - 0151 652 1574. Ext 2414
Email: lbo@birkenheadparkschool.com
Mrs Lloyd: Attendance Officer - Year 9 and 11 - Telephone - 0151 652 1574. Ext 2223
Email: gly@birkenheadparkschool.com
Mrs Steen: Attendance Manager - Year 10 - Telephone 0151 652 1574. Ext 2222
Email: jst@birkenheadparkschool.com.com
In addition to this, you can also speak to your child’s Head of Year, Pastoral Leader or Inclusion Assistant if you have any concerns regarding your son/daughter’s attendance.
Previous Attendance Competitions
