Attendance & Absence Procedures

At Birchwood High School, we believe that regular attendance is vital to every child’s success, both academically and personally. By working closely with families, we aim to ensure that all students have the support they need to attend school regularly and overcome any challenges.

On this page, you’ll find clear guidance about our attendance procedures, including daily absence reporting, authorised and unauthorised absences, term-time holidays, and lateness.

Absence Information

At Birchwood High School, we strive to ensure that every student has access to their full educational entitlement while working collaboratively with families to address any barriers to attendance. Below, we outline the daily absence procedure, the distinction between authorised and unauthorised absences, and the guidelines for term-time holidays and lateness.

Research shows a clear link between attendance and achievement—students who attend regularly are more likely to excel academically and access a broader range of opportunities both at school and beyond. Attendance is also vital for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child.

Daily Absence Procedure

If your child is unable to attend school:

Notify the school before 8:30 am on the morning of the absence. The preferred method of communication is through the Arbor app, or you may email admin@birchwoodhigh.org.uk. Please include:

The reason for the absence.

How long you expect your child to be off school.

Daily updates are required for each day of absence.

If your child is absent for multiple days, the school may request medical evidence to support the absence.

If the school does not receive notification of your child’s absence

Day 1: Truancy check. A text message will be sent to parents/carers which requires a response. This may well be followed up by a phone call from the school later in the day.

Day 2: The school will contact you by phone to confirm the reason for absence and discuss a timeline for your child’s return to school.

Day 3: If no contact has been made, the school will escalate by reaching out via phone and email.

Day 4: If there is still no response, the school will conduct a welfare check and arrange an Attendance Resolution Meeting to address the absence and any underlying issues.

Authorised & Unauthorised Absence

Authorised Absence

Authorised absences are those which the school considers reasonable and unavoidable. These include:

Illness: Time away from school due to a genuine health issue.

Medical appointments: Where appointments can not reasonably be scheduled outside of school hours.

Exceptional circumstances: These must be pre-approved by the Principal.

We understand that deciding whether to keep your child off school due to illness can be challenging. The NHS provides health protection guidelines on managing specific infectious diseases, available here. These outline when children should or should not attend school.

Unauthorised Absence

Unauthorised absences are those the school does not consider valid reasons for missing school, including:

Non-infectious illnesses or injuries that do not prevent learning.

Absences without explanation.

Arriving at school after morning registration has closed.

Day trips or family birthdays.

Looking after siblings or accompanying them or parents to appointments.

Term-time holidays not pre-approved by the Principal.

Term Time Absence Requests

There is no legal entitlement for students to take time off for holidays during the school term.

Applications for term-time absences must be made in writing to the Principal, who will review requests on a case-by-case basis.

Requests should explain why the absence cannot be taken during school holidays.

Please see the Term Time Leave Request Form here.

Lateness

Punctuality is an important aspect of maintaining regular attendance:

Morning registrations is at 8:40am and students arriving after this time will be marked late.

Form time finishes at 9:00am and registers close at 9:30am.

Students who arrive significantly late (after registers close) without an explanation will be marked as absent for the session, which counts as an unauthorised absence.

Persistent lateness will prompt discussions with families to identify and address any barriers to timely attendance.

Attendance Procedure

At Birchwood High School, we are committed to ensuring every child has the best opportunity to succeed. Regular school attendance is fundamental to your child’s learning, well-being, and future opportunities. We understand that every family faces unique circumstances, and we are here to support you in overcoming any barriers to attendance.

Our aim is for all students to achieve at least 96% attendance, in line with local authority guidance. This target reflects our belief that regular attendance provides the best foundation for a fulfilling and successful school experience.

Our approach is collaborative, supportive, and focused on building strong partnerships with families. Together, we can ensure every student has access to the education they are entitled to, setting them up for success today and in the future.

We appreciate some students face greater barriers to attendance than their peers. These can include students who suffer from long-term medical conditions or who have special educational needs and disabilities, or other vulnerabilities. High expectations of attendance remain in place for these students at Birchwood. However, we will always work with families and students to support improved attendance whilst being mindful of the additional barriers faced.

Our Attendance Aim

Our Attendance Aim

The school's attendance goal is 96% or above, in line with local authority guidelines.

This aim reflects our belief that regular attendance provides students with the best foundation for success.

To help all students meet this target, the school implements proactive and supportive measures:

Building relationships with families and students, fostering open communication and trust.

Creating a safe, supportive, and engaging environment to make school a place students enjoy attending.

Raising awareness about the importance of good attendance and punctuality through school communications and events.

Monitoring attendance closely and recording reasons for absences promptly to address concerns early.

Step 1: If Attendance Drops to 93%

Step 1: If Attendance Drops to 93%

Families receive an Attendance Awareness Communication. This acts to reemphasise the importance of attendance and the school’s expectations and highlights to parents that their child’s attendance is below where the school would like it to be.
It is an early outreach to offer support to identify and address any challenges that may be affecting attendance.

If Attendance Improves

No further action is required.

The student’s attendance will continue to be monitored as part of the school’s regular procedures.

Step 2: If Attendance Drops to 91%

Step 2: If Attendance Drops to 91%

Families are invited to an Attendance Support Meeting to collaboratively explore specific barriers to attendance, ensuring an individualised approach to improvement.

If Attendance Improves

No further action is required.

The student’s attendance will continue to be monitored as part of the school’s regular procedures.

Step 3: If Attendance Drops Below 90%

Step 3: If Attendance Drops Below 90%

Students are classified as Persistent Absentees under government guidelines (missing 10% or more schooling).

An Attendance Resolution Meeting is held with families, focusing on:
- Creating a customised Assess/Plan/Do/Review plan tailored to the child’s needs.
- Evaluating the potential need for fines and legal action on a case-by-case basis.

Step 4: If Attendance Drops Below 50%

Step 4: If Attendance Drops Below 50%

Students are classified as Severe Persistent Absentees under government guidelines (missing 50% or more schooling).

An Attendance Resolution Meeting is held with families, focusing on:

Coordinating interventions with external agencies and referral to the local authority to address complex issues if appropriate.

Continuation of Assess/Plan/Do/Review plan tailored to the child’s needs.

Evaluating the potential need for fines and legal action on a case-by-case basis.

We are bound by the Local Authority to notify any cases where there are 10 consecutive days of unauthorised absence and 15 consecutive days of medical absence.