Attendance is everyone’s responsibility.
Our Vision
Parents, students, staff, and the wider community are part of the Bluecoat Beechdale Academy family and together we strive to make it an environment that is calm, orderly, safe and supportive in which all students can learn and thrive.
At Bluecoat Beechdale Academy, we all work together to achieve a culture of good attendance to ensure our students get the most out of their learning experience. We therefore have the highest expectations for every student in line with our academy improvement priorities: Be here. Behave. Belong.
There are significant links between attendance and a child’s wider outcomes which is why you will find attendance prioritised in strategies such as: attainment & outcomes, behaviour, bullying & child-on-child abuse, SEND, supporting students with medical conditions or disabilities, safeguarding, physical and mental wellbeing, and supporting disadvantaged students. Absence can’t therefore be addressed in isolation as it affects so many other factors.
Whilst every pupil has a right to a full-time education and high attendance expectations are set for all students, our attendance policy accounts for the specific needs of certain pupils and pupil cohorts.
Please read our Bluecoat Beechdale Academy Attendance Policy
Senior Attendance Champions and the Attendance Team
Bluecoat Beechdale has dedicated members of staff committed to improving attendance.
Mrs R Frearson
Principal
Ms G Anderson
Deputy Safeguarding Lead/Targeted Support & Engagement Lead
Miss S Cliff
Year 11 & vulnerable students
Miss J Bennett
On maternity leave
Miss A Wheatley
Year 7 & 9
Miss J Bradshaw
Year 8 & 10
Daily absence procedures for parents/carers
If your child will be absent from school, please call the Student absence line before 9am
01159135211, Option 1
Alternatively, you can report an absence on Weduc.
What is good attendance?
There are significant links between attendance and a child’s wider outcomes, such as attainment, which is why attendance is such a high priority nationally. Legal thresholds are in place to support this.
Good attendance is essential for students to get the most out of their Bluecoat Beechdale experience
- The pupils with the highest attainment at the end of key stage 4 have higher rates of attendance over the key stage compared to those with the lowest attainment.
- At KS4, pupils not achieving grade 9 to 4 in English and maths had an overall absence rate of 8.8%, compared to 5.2% among those achieving grade 4.
- The overall absence rate of pupils not achieving grade 9 to 4 was over twice as high as those achieving grade 9 to 5 (8.8% compared to 3.7%).
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy employs a ‘support first’ method which includes all members of staff. It is essential that we all work together to maintain good attendance. However, where attendance barriers arise, we have a tiered approach to provide effective improvement strategies.
Where it is proving difficult to engage a parent or child in the support being offered, there are escalation procedures in place to help to address this. In addition to the Education Welfare Service, this may include additional referrals to external agencies such as Children’s Social Care.
Key terms
Persistent Absence/Persistent Absentee (PA)
19+ day’s absence. Overall attendance is less than 90%. This is the legal threshold for school attendance.
Severe Absence/Severely Persistent Absentee (SPA)
Overall attendance is less than 50%.
Punctuality
The school day starts at 8:25am and finishes at 3pm. Therefore, all students are expected to arrive at school by 8:25am.
Students who arrive at school after 8:55am will receive a U code; this is an unauthorised absence code that will negatively impact on their attendance data and will be shared with the local authority.
Afternoon registers are open from 12:10pm-12:40pm.
Sanctions
Students arriving late to the academy will receive a sanction.
| Arrival time | Sanction |
| Between 8:25am – 8:55am
Up to 30 minutes late |
30 minutes after school |
| Between 8:55am – 9:25am**
Up to 60 minutes late |
60 minutes after school |
| Between 9:25am – 9:55am**
Up to 90 minutes late |
Loss of unstructured time (break and lunch to be spent in the Reflection Unit) |
| Between 9:55am – 10:25am**
Up to 2 hours late |
Loss of unstructured time (break and lunch to be spent in the Reflection Unit) and 30 minutes detention after school |
| Between 10:25am – 10:55am**
Up to 2.5 hours late |
Loss of unstructured time (break and lunch to be spent in the Reflection Unit) and 60 minutes detention after school |
| Beyond 10:55am**
Over 2.5 hours late |
Students arriving after this time is significantly concerning.
Sanctions will be applied and parents will be invited into discuss. |
**Arrival after 8:55am will result in an unauthorised absence for the morning session. This information will be shared with the local authority for consideration of a penalty notice/fine.
Penalty Notices/fines
If your child continues to be absent from school without good reason after support has been put in place to resolve their barriers to attendance, the Education Welfare Service (EWS) at Nottingham City Council will look to enforce school attendance with legal action.
This will also be the case if it is proving difficult to engage a parent or child in the support being offered, or when a holiday is taken during term time.
Referral for consideration of a penalty notice/fine will also be made if a student has been suspended but is seen in the community within school hours.
Nottingham City Council have released the changes that will come into force for Penalty Notices/fines issued after 19th August 2024:
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Per Parent, Per Child Penalty Notice fines will now be issued to each parent, for each child that was absent. For example: 3 siblings absent for term time leave, would result in each parent receiving 3 separate fines.
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First Offence The first time a Penalty Notice is issued for Term Time leave of irregular attendance the amount will be: £160 per parent, per child if paid within 28 days Reduced to £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.
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5 consecutive days of term time leave Penalty Notice Fines will be issued for Term Time leave of 5 or more consecutive days, inset training days are school days and can be included in the 5 or more consecutive days where there was intent to be absent for term time leave. 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 10-week period Penalty Notice fines will be considered when there have been 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 10-week period.
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Second Offence (Within 3 years) The second time a Penalty Notice is issued for Term Time leave or irregular attendance the amount will be £160 per parent, per child paid within 28 days.
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Third Offence and Any Further Offences (within 3 years) The third time an offence is committed for Term Time leave or irregular attendance a Penalty Notice will not be issued, and the case will be presented straight to the Magistrates’ Court. Magistrates’ fines can be up to £2500 per parent, per child. Cases found guilty in Magistrates’ Court can show on the parents future DBS certificate, due to a ‘failure to safeguard a child’s education’.
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| 5 consecutive days of term time leave
Penalty Notice Fines will be issued for Term Time leave of 5 or more consecutive days, inset training days are school days and can be included in the 5 or more consecutive days where there was intent to be absent for term time leave. 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 10-week period Penalty Notice fines will be considered when there have been 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 10-week period. |
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| Second Offence (Within 3 years)
The second time a Penalty Notice is issued for Term Time leave or irregular attendance the amount will be £160 per parent, per child paid within 28 days. |
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| Third Offence and Any Further Offences (within 3 years)
The third time an offence is committed for Term Time leave or irregular attendance a Penalty Notice will not be issued, and the case will be presented straight to the Magistrates’ Court. Magistrates’ fines can be up to £2500 per parent, per child.
Cases found guilty in Magistrates’ Court can show on the parents future DBS certificate, due to a ‘failure to safeguard a child’s education’ |
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Medical/dental appointments
To avoid disruption to your child’s education, medical/dental appointments should not be booked during the school day.
When this is unavoidable (e.g. hospital or orthodontist appointments), you should ask the school in advance for a leave of absence and collect them as close to the time of the appointment as possible and return them to school for the rest of the school day afterwards.
Please note that leave of absence for routine appointments will not be authorised.
Key documents
Working together to improve school attendance
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy Attendance Policy
ALT Attendance And Punctuality Policy July 2024
Penalty Notice Fines For School Attendance
Legal action to enforce school attendance
Penalty Notice Code Of Conduct September 2024 National Framework 2024 06 19
