Attendance & Punctuality
General Attendance:
In preparing your child for adult life we make no apology for having such a stringent and tough approach to student attendance. We want all students to attend 100% of the time, however a minimum of 96% is expected. Places at colleges and opportunities in employment are becoming increasingly competitive and key skills that are being demanded are reliability, good attendance and punctuality. Therefore we need to set high standards at this stage to give your child the best opportunities in their adult life.
Rewarding Positive Attendance:
We are investing in positive attendance. All students with 100% attendance at the end of each term will receive a certificate and a reward. All students with attendance of 96% and above will receive a postcard and small reward at every half term. Students who have also improved their attendance during the school year will receive a reward postcard.
Punctuality:
At The Bourne Academy, constant lateness is unacceptable and not only disrupts the first class of the morning but also means that children miss out on a structured start to the Academy morning.
Parents/carers are responsible in law for ensuring that their child arrives at school punctually. All students should be in the Academy 8.40am at the latest.
Students arriving after 8.40am must have one of the following:
- A note from parent/carer advising why the student is late.
- A late pass which must be shown to the Head of Year on duty.
Students who arrive late without a note, or a late pass (eg a young carer’s late pass), will be placed in LOST (Loss Of Social Time) the same day. Late = LOST at break, in the first instance (doubled up to lunch, if not attended)
In addition, a student who arrives late without a note from you, or late pass, will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. If a student has ten or more unauthorised absences within a six week period, the Academy can take legal action which may take the form of a Penalty Notice from Bournemouth Borough Council.
Challenging Poor Attendance:
The Bourne Academy will not tolerate persistently poor attendance levels and have taken a number of measures to challenge poor attendance of individual students. This includes applications made to Bournemouth Borough Council for penalty notices to parents/carers of students with persistently poor attendance. Penalty notice applications will also be sought for any unauthorised holidays taken during term time without the written permission of the Principal. This will only be granted in the most exceptional of circumstances, so please bear this in mind when planning holidays.
If you have any queries regarding your child’s attendance please contact their Head of Year or the Education Social Worker, Jackie Beer.
If you are in any doubt about whether your child is well enough to attend the Academy, please refer to the guidance available HERE.
May we remind parents, if your child is absent, it is a requirement that you phone or text Admissions Administrator direct on 01202 636996 or 01202 528554 before 8.40am each morning they are absent from school.
Please note: In the event of school closure due to adverse weather conditions, parents/carers will be notified by text and if possible by email. Notification will also be posted on the website. News will also be available on the local radio stations, Heart and FIRE Radio as well as the Bournemouth Echo website.