At BiGS we recognise that your child's regular attendance at school will increase their chances of getting good qualifications and a good job. Consequently we aim for students to have an attendance above 97% as per local governmental guidelines.
BiGS expects good attendance from all its pupils, in order for them to make the most of the opportunities that the school has to offer. We rely on our close partnership with parents to ensure that this is achieved.
If your child is absent from school you must:
As early as you can on the first day of absence
The law requires that all schools must now show the difference between authorised and unauthorised absence.
Unauthorised absence can be:
The reasons your child should not be kept away from school include:
Authorised absence can be:
Please be aware that recent changes to the law mean that our school will not agree to an absence for a holiday in term time. The law states that parents do not have the right to take their child out of school for holidays during term time.
Recent amendments to school attendance regulations (which came into force from 1 September 2013), remove references to family holidays and extended leave and make it clear, that the Headteacher may NOT authorise any absence from school unless there are exceptional circumstances. If you feel there are exceptional circumstances why your child needs to be absent from school, you should apply, in advance, by writing to the Headteacher explaining clearly the dates and reasons you are requesting leave of absence. If the school refuses a request for leave of absence and the child is still taken out of school this will be recorded as unauthorised absence and noted in the child's record. Consequently you may recieve a Penalty Notice for the period of absence from Bolton Council.
Our children are praised for good attendance, we award an attendance certificate and reward during Celebration Assemblies to recognise which class has had the best attendance and individuals with excellent attendance are rewarded at the end of the academic year or termly with an outing. Attendance is also noted on end of year reports and information which is passed on to colleges.
Our school day starts at 8.25am. Registers are marked shortly after this. Pupils who are not present for registration will be marked as absent initially. If they arrive before 8.50am this will be changed to present but late. Two or more late’s in a week will result in a detention on Friday after 3pm.
Related Documents:Home School Agreement
Additional Information: The Law
The Education Act 1996 Part 1, Section 7 States:
The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable:
either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.
For educational purposes the term parent is used to indicate those that have parental responsibility and/or those that have the day to day care of the child.
The legislation that appertains to children who are of compulsory school age and are registered at school is contained within this Act.
Part V1 Section 444 contains the details of when an offence is committed if a child fails to attend school.
Register and Admission Roll Keeping:
The legal requirements are found in The Education (Pupil Registration) England Regulations, 2006 (Amendment) Regulations 2013. The education act 1996 - sections 434 (1)(3)(4)&(6) and 458(4)&(5)