Attendance at Beech Hyde is excellent because our pupils love school!

Attending school every day is key to a child’s happiness and success at school, and we would ask for your full support in this. Our target for all pupils is above 95% attendance throughout the year, and therefore, they should only miss school if they really are too ill to attend. Classes are rewarded by the weekly presentation of the Beech Hyde Attendance Bears.

We have a soft start to the school day and pupils can enter their classroom and get prepared for the school day from 8.45am. We expect all pupils to be in their classroom at 8.55am for registration. After this time, the school gates will be closed and pupils will be required to sign in late at the school office. Registers close at 9.25am and after this time your child will be marked as absent for the morning session. Please ensure your child is on time for school as their learning is affected by missing the start of the day. 

If your child is going to be absent from school that day, please contact the school office as soon as possible, by calling 01582 832661 or by emailing admin@beechhyde.aetrust.uk. For day to day attendance issues, please contact Mrs Pleasants in the main office. If your child is absent, and we have not heard from you, the school office will contact you by phone to ascertain the reason for absence.  A letter will also be sent home with your child, giving you the opportunity to verify the reason, once they return to school. If no reason is given, the absence will be unauthorised. The absence will also be unauthorised if the reason given is not an acceptable reason for a child to miss school. 

If you have further concerns about attendance, please discuss these with your child's class teacher, or contact Ms K Thomas - Headteacher and Attendance Champion.  

The Governor link for attendance is Mrs S Medlock - Chair of Governors.

We consistently check both the absences and lateness of all pupils and are rigorous in our determination to ensure that all pupils attend school regularly and on time. 

If your child's attendance becomes cause for concern, we will contact you to discuss/ send a letter for information. Your child's attendance will then be monitored and if it does not improve, we will ask you to attend a meeting to discuss ways to improve attendance/ remove barriers to attendance. At this point we may discuss the need for further support and referral to early help services. 

When  the  number  of  absences  becomes a significant concern, the school may stop authorising absence unless medical evidence is provided that states the child is unable to attend school. Should unauthorised sessions reach 10 (the equivalent of 5 days)  or  more  in  the  current  and/or  previous  term,  new regulations in place state that the school must consider applying to the local authority for a fixed penalty notice.

The  notice  requires  you  to  pay  a  penalty  of  £80  within  21  days,  rising  to  £160  if  paid  per  21  days  but  within  28  days.  Each  parent  is  liable  to  pay  a  separate  penalty and penalty notices are issued for each child to whom the absence relates. Payment  of  the  penalty  enables  you  to  discharge  your  liability  for  the  offence  for  the  period  in  ques on  of  failing  to  ensure  your  child’s  regular  a endance  at  school.  (Section  444,  The  Education  Act  1996).  Failure  to  pay  the  penalty  means  you  are  liable  to  prosecution  for  the  offence,  by  summons  to  appear  before  the  local  Magistrates  Court.  On  conviction  you  may  be  liable  for  a  fine  of  up  to  £1,000  per  parent.  This  is  a  criminal  offence  which  carries  a  criminal record.

Please note that holidays, travel for a special occasion, time away as a SEND adaption, can not be taken during term time, and the DfE requires schools to consider applying to the local authority to issue a fixed penalty notice should your child be absent for this reason, for 5 days or more.