Birchen Coppice Primary Academy

Attendance at Birchen Coppice Primary Academy

Every Day Matters

At Birchen Coppice Primary Academy, we want every child to feel that they belong in school and have the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from every day of learning.

Regular attendance helps children learn, build friendships, grow in confidence and develop positive routines. Even small amounts of absence can make it more difficult for children to keep up with their learning.

We understand that there may be times when attending school feels difficult for your child or family. If your child is finding it hard to attend regularly, please talk to us as early as possible. We will listen, try to understand what is happening and work with you to provide the right support.

Reporting an unplanned absence

Parents/carers must notify the school of the reason for the absence on the first day of an unplanned absence by 8.30am or as soon as possible by calling the school office on 01562 823582 or emailing office@birchencoppiceacademy.org.uk

Reporting an absence

If your child is too unwell to attend school, please contact us on the first day of absence and on each subsequent day unless we have agreed otherwise with you.

Please tell us:

• your child’s name and class;
• the reason for their absence; and
• when you expect them to return, if you know.

If we have not heard from you, we will contact you to check the reason for your child’s absence. If we are unable to make contact and have concerns about your child’s welfare, we may make further enquiries or arrange a home visit in line with our safeguarding procedures.

Arriving at school on time

Arriving on time is important too. When children arrive late, they may miss important teaching and find it harder to settle into the school day.

School starts at 8.30am
Registers close at 8.50am

Arrival after the register has closed may be recorded as an unauthorised absence unless there is an appropriate reason.

If you are finding it difficult to get your child to school on time, please speak to us. We are here to help and would much rather work with you to find a solution.

Finish Strong Friday

At Birchen Coppice, we have Finish Strong Friday.

Fridays are an important part of the school week. Children consolidate their learning, complete important curriculum work and prepare for the learning that follows.

We want our children to develop the positive habit of finishing the week as strongly as they started it.

Unless your child is genuinely too unwell to attend, please help us to make every school day count – including Friday.

When attendance begins to fall

We monitor children’s attendance carefully because a fall in attendance can sometimes be an early sign that a child or family may need support.

If we become concerned about your child’s attendance, we will contact you so that we can talk things through. Depending on your child’s individual circumstances, this may include:

1. talking with you to understand the reasons for absence;
2. identifying any barriers affecting your child’s attendance;
3. agreeing support or reasonable adjustments where appropriate;
4. agreeing an attendance plan and reviewing progress;
5. working with other services where additional help is needed; and
6. if support has not been successful and absence remains unauthorised, considering formal attendance procedures.

Our aim is always to work with families. At the same time, we have a responsibility to make sure that children receive the education to which they are entitled.

How we can help

There are many reasons why a child may find attending school difficult. These might include health needs, SEND, anxiety about school, difficulties at home, transport, housing or other family circumstances.

Please do not wait until attendance has become a serious concern before speaking to us. An early conversation can often help us put support in place before difficulties become more significant.

You can talk to your child’s teacher or contact our pastoral and attendance team. We can help you explore what might make attending school easier and, where appropriate, work with other services to support your family.

Senior Attendance Champion: Mrs Pennington, Headteacher
Attendance contact: Mrs Puplett
Telephone: 01562 823582
Email: office@birchencoppiceacademy.org.uk

Persistent absence

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

We will work particularly closely with families when attendance approaches or falls below this level. This is not just about a percentage. We want to understand why a child is missing school and what support or changes may help them attend more regularly.

Where absence is related to SEND, health or other individual needs, we will consider appropriate support and reasonable adjustments.

Leave during term time

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

Headteachers may only grant a leave of absence during term time where they consider there to be exceptional circumstances. Each request will be considered individually.

If you need to request leave, please complete our Leave of Absence Request Form before making arrangements wherever possible.

A family holiday would not normally be considered an exceptional circumstance.

Unauthorised absence and penalty notices

Where absence is unauthorised, schools and local authorities have statutory responsibilities to consider appropriate action.

This can include a Notice to Improve, a penalty notice or, in some circumstances, prosecution.

Penalty notices operate under the national framework. We will always consider the individual circumstances of each case and whether appropriate support has been offered before deciding what action is appropriate.

More information is available in our Attendance Policy.

Attendance and safeguarding

Attendance is also an important part of keeping children safe.

Unexplained or unexpected absence can sometimes indicate that a child needs additional support or protection. For this reason, we follow up unexplained absence promptly and may contact other agencies if we have concerns about a child’s welfare.

Our commitment to families

We want children at Birchen Coppice to attend school because they feel safe, valued, included and ready to learn.

Our approach to attendance is therefore based on:

Belonging • Support • High Expectations • Partnership

If attendance is becoming difficult, please speak to us. Early conversations can help prevent small difficulties from becoming bigger ones.

Useful information

Attendance Policy: Click here

Request for Leave of Absence Form: Contact school office or download the form below

Worcestershire County Council – Attendance information for parents: Click here

Contact the school: office@birchencoppiceacademy.org.uk  01562 823582