Attendance

At Bristol Metropolitan Academy, we want and expect our students to attend school every day, unless they are really not well enough to.

We believe children who attend regularly are more likely to feel settled in school, maintain friendships, keep up with their learning and gain the greatest benefit from their education.

Attending on time every day also helps students form good habits which can stay with them throughout their education and on into the workplace.

Support for your child in school

Please remember we are here to help in any way we can. If you have any concerns about your child that you wish to discuss with us, please do get in touch.

In the first instance, you child’s house team will be the first port of call if you have any concerns regarding your child’s attendance. You can request that they contact you by emailing [email protected] or by calling 0117 3772 071.

Arriving at school on time

Arriving at school on time is not only essential for the student’s own learning, it encourages habits of good timekeeping and lessens any classroom disruption. Late arrival means students risk missing important information which can seriously disadvantage them.

Students can arrive from 8.10am and are welcome to enjoy our free breakfast club available to everyone.

• All students are expected to arrive at school in good time for the start of the school day at 8:30am.
• If a student arrives after 8.35am, they will be marked in the register as late and the parents/carers will be notified by text message. The student will also be required to attend a break time detention on that day. Should they miss this detention, they will be expected to complete the sanction after school instead and the parents/carers will be notified. Should a student’s lateness persist during the week, sanctions will be escalated as per the table below.

 Staff may ask to meet with parents/carers of students who regularly arrive late to discuss reasons for lateness and explore solutions.

Illness

Students should attend school on every day the school is open, unless they are really not well enough to.

Minor ailments should not be a reason for staying at home. If your child attends school when feeling slightly under the weather, but feels worse during the school day, they can let a member of staff know and we will contact you if we think your child needs to go home. If you aren’t sure whether or not to send your child to school, please contact your child’s house team and we will be happy to support and advise where appropriate.

If your child is too ill to attend, you must notify the academy before 8:30am on the first day of absence. If your child is ill for more than one day, you will need to notify the academy on each morning of the absence, unless otherwise agreed.

This can be done by texting 07860054574. When reporting your child’s absence, please provide the following information:

• Your name
• The child’s name
• Their learning family
• The reason for their absence
  In cases of illness, please clearly explain the symptoms your child has, when the symptoms started, and when you expect your child to be well enough to return to school.

By law, schools must record all student absences and whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised.  

Medical/dental appointments

Please try to avoid medical and dental appointments in school time. If this is unavoidable, arrange appointments so the minimum school time is lost. Unless it is an emergency appointment, parents/carers are expected to let the academy know about the appointment in advance, with evidence of the appointment.  This can be done by emailing [email protected] or by providing the necessary documentation to the school reception. Without evidence, we will not be able to authorise the absence.

Unexplained absences

The academy will follow up any student absences where the parent/carer has not contacted us to explain why, or where we are unclear about the reason for absence.

If you fail to notify us of the reason for your child’s absence, it will be recorded as unauthorised.

Where the academy has cause for concern about the reason for a student’s absence, staff may seek additional information or evidence from parents/carers, and/or make a home visit to verify the reason.

Unauthorised absences may result in a penalty notice or prosecution.

Important reminder about term-time leave

Attending school every day helps children and young people maximise their learning and enjoy the benefits of their education. It really does make a difference.

For that reason, the academy will not authorise any leave of absence in term time, unless satisfied the reason is exceptional.

We ask parents and carers to request permission in advance, and only if absolutely necessary. Any requests should be put in writing via the appropriate form (available from the school reception) and wherever possible with at least four weeks’ notice. The parent or carer who the child normally lives with should make the application.

Parents/carers are reminded that unauthorised term-time leave may result in a penalty notice or prosecution.

Further information

If you have any questions about the information provided, or any other attendance related questions, please request that the attendance officer contact you by emailing [email protected] or by calling 0117 3772 071.

Our full school attendance policy can be found here