The Academy's target is for all pupils to achieve 100% attendance in order to give themselves the best possible opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Strategies for promoting attendance

The Academy uses a range of methods/initiatives to promote a culture of good attendance across the school:

• Stakeholder engagement around attendance through simple, friendly posters across the school site and regular promotion of attendance through school communication platforms
• Long term Initiatives such as the BPA attendance tree display where pupils receive a leaf for 100% attendance each half term.
• Short term initiatives such as the ‘Lucky Dip’ box and School Shop, which are changed across the academic year to keep interest in attendance.
• Individual certificates for most improved attendance focused on hard-to-reach parents/pupils.
• Attendance contracts detailing agreed actions/support for parents to improve attendance.
• Promoting the use of Studybugs, an easy-to-use approach to reporting absence.
• Individual reward schemes focused on achieving a week/two weeks good attendance for hard-to-reach parents/pupils.

What does good school attendance look like?

Attendance Rewards

We will use as many opportunities as possible to remind parents/carers that it is their responsibility to ensure that children receive their education. Rewards include attendance displays and celebrations, attendance leaves for 100% attendance in a half term, the Lucky Dip box and individual reward strategies. 

Penalty Notices

The current law does not give any entitlement to parents to take their child out of school during term time. The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 prohibits Head Teachers granting leave of absence to a pupil except where an application has been made in advance and the Head Teacher considers there are exceptional circumstances relating to the application. If the leave is granted, the Head Teacher can also determine the number of days the child may reasonably be away from school. 

Bournemouth Park Academy supports other local schools in adopting the government recommendation that no absences for holidays will be approved as authorised during the academic year. Should parents book vacations during term time, they will do so on the understanding that this is without the consent or approval of the school.

Penalty Notices are issued for:

• unauthorised absence

• holidays in term time without permission

• excluded pupils found in a public place during the first 5 days of suspension or exclusion

Cost of the Notice:

• £60 per child, per parent, if paid within 21 days

• rising to £120 per child, per parent if paid within 28 days

• you could be prosecuted if you do not pay the fine after 28 days