Attendance & Punctuality

Please contact us as soon as possible to inform us of any absence the same day.

To report any absence or inform us of any future absence such as a medical appointment, please contact the Attendance Officer via the My Child at School App or by email at attendance@harrisbeckenham.org.uk, or leave a voicemail with the reason/s for absence on the attendance absence line on 020 8650 8694 ext. 7109.

Any other issues or concerns should be made to your child’s form tutor who will deal with these in the first instance. Download our guide to parents/carers on attendance and punctuality.

The timings of the Academy day

Registration is in the morning at 8.25 am which is preceded by a warning bell at 8.20 am. We expect all students to arrive at the Academy before 8:20 am. Students must additionally ensure that they are punctual to all lessons as poor punctuality to lessons can result in a truancy sanction or a late detention. 

Excellent attendance is important because...

We want all students to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Academy. Evidence shows that there is a direct link between poor attendance and underachievement. Students not in school are more at risk of failing to achieve. In addition, they run a greater risk of getting involved in crime or becoming victims of crime.
 
The law requires that parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that their children attend school and are on time. This guide will explain clearly what our expectations are regarding attendance and punctuality and how we will deal with any problems or issues to do with your son or daughter in this area. 

Attendance and punctuality

We expect your child to be in the Academy every day on time unless:

• He/She is too ill to attend
• He/She has a medical appointment that can only be made in Academy hours
• Other extreme circumstances where permission has been agreed by the Principal.

Unauthorised absence

This is where your child has been absent and the absence has not been explained, or we do not consider the reason for the absence to be acceptable.

Truancy occurs when your child misses school without authorisation or registers for school but does not then attend lessons. We will not accept truancy and we will inform you of any suspected truancy. We will place your child in a Coordinators detention for a single incident of truancy or deliberate lateness to lessons, giving you 24 hours of notice in writing.

Leave of absence in term time. We do not authorise holidays during term time, ever. If you require your son/daughter to be absent from the Academy for extreme circumstances you will need to request a leave of absence application form from the Student Information Centre. The Principal will consider these requests on an individual basis taking into account the student’s attendance record and the circumstances surrounding the request.

What will we do to monitor attendance and punctuality?

We will:

• contact you on the first day of absence, at home or work, if you have not previously informed us of the reason why your child is absent
• send you an absence letter if we have not been able to contact you after three days
• send you attendance and punctuality statistics each half term as part of our progress reports
• contact you and arrange a meeting to discuss any concerns we have over attendance and persistent issues with punctuality.

Fixed Penalty Notices

Any student late to the Academy, arriving after 9.00 am, five or more times in any one half term, will be issued with a fixed penalty notice. A warning letter will be sent after the third occasion.

Any parent who takes their child on a leave of absence without Academy authorisation will be sent a fixed penalty notice upon the child’s return.

Any student with less than 90% attendance with any unauthorised absence will be sent a warning letter and if no improvement is made then a fixed penalty notice will be issued.

Guidance for parents/carers

We ask that parents/carers:

• reinforce our expectations regarding full attendance and excellent punctuality with your child
• support Academy staff when we take action over punctuality or truancy, for example, issuing detentions
• let us know of any change in contact details immediately
• contact the Academy to inform us about any absence, the same day if possible
• ensure that your child completes any work that has been sent home or that he catches up with any work that he has missed.

Information regarding child employment

Download the Bromley Council Education Welfare Service Guide to Child Employment - A Guide for Young People

Contacting the Academy

Please contact us as soon as possible to inform us of any absence the same day.

To report any absence, inform us of any future absence or advise us of changes to contact details, please contact the Academy and ask to speak to the Student Information Centre on 020 8662 6644 who will take the necessary details.