Attendance & Absence

All student attendance queries and concerns should be raised via lowerattendance@basildonacademies.org.uk or the Contact Us page, selecting the ‘Attendance’ tab.

Student attendance to school is vital in supporting their outcomes and future destinations. We have a 100% attendance ethos at the Basildon Lower Academy.

Our non-teaching attendance team are able to support with any concerns or queries regarding student attendance, providing guidance on the rare occasions your child may need to miss school.

Please let us know as soon as possible if your child is unable to attend school, ideally by 8am, by email to lowerattendance@basildonacademies.org.uk

Supporting Your Child with School Anxiety and Attendance

We understand that anxiety can sometimes make attending school challenging for some students. If your child is struggling with school-related anxiety, these resources offer practical advice and support for parents:

YoungMinds – A helpful guide with strategies for managing school anxiety:
www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-a-z-mental-health-guide/school-anxiety-and-refusal/

Kooth – A free, confidential online mental health service for young people, offering support through articles, forums, and one-to-one chats with professionals:
www.kooth.com

^{Attendance During 1 School Year}	^{Equals Days Absent}	^{Which is Approximately Weeks Absent}	^{Which Means This Number of Lessons Missed}	^{Absence Over 5 Years}
95%	9 Days	2 Weeks	50 Lessons	¼ Year
90%	19 Days	4 Weeks	100 Lessons	½ Year
80%	38 Days	8 Weeks	200 Lessons	1 Year
70%	59 Days	12 Weeks	300 Lessons	1 ½ Years
60%	80 Days	16 Weeks	400 Lessons	2 Years
50%	100 Days	20 Weeks	500 Lessons	2 ½ Years

Rewarding Good Attendance

Attendance is one of the attributes that is considered when there are rewards events and trips.

Daily Rewards: Daily text messages for 100% attendance are sent via text message or through the MCAS app.

Weekly Rewards: Weekly student briefings, held on Mondays, highlight the students who have achieved 100% attendance and have no late marks. These students receive a token, which they can use for either a queue jump for the dinner queue or a hot chocolate at break time throughout the week.

Half-Termly Rewards: Each half-term, 100% attendance postcards are given to students based on their attendance for that period.

Termly Rewards: Students receive a badge and certificate during a celebration event in recognition of their termly attendance. The badge can be pinned to their tie.

Q1: Why is it important for my child to attend?

Missing, for example, 2 weeks of school might not seem like very much, but it can have a big effect on your child’s education. Every day at school matters for every child.
For example, if your child misses 2 weeks of school every year, this adds up to more than 2 terms over the child’s whole time in school.
Make sure your child attends school as much as possible. This means:
*Your child will have the same education and opportunities as everyone else
*You won’t need to worry about catching up on work, or that your child might fall behind because of missing an important lesson
*Your child won’t miss out on activities at the start and end of term, which are often fun and a chance to develop friendships

Q2: When is my child allowed to miss school?

You can only allow your child to miss school if:
*They are too ill to attend – only in exceptional cases
*You have advance permission from the school

It is not acceptable to allow a child to miss school for any other reason, for example:
*Because it is the last day or week of term
*Because it is Friday
*Because the weather is not good and they have to walk to school
*Because a sibling or family member is feeling unwell
*Because we have a special event running at school
*Because it is a birthday or special occasion
*Because a consequence has been received at school

These are examples of reasons that we have been provided with for absence which would not be acceptable and would be used in triggering legal processes for failure to ensure school attendance. Unauthorised lateness is also considered unauthorized absence. Please refer to our attendance policy for more details.

Anxiety around coronavirus is not included as a valid reason for absence – please let us know via our Wellbeing Centres if you or your child are feeling anxious, and we will be sure to provide additional support to help you both feel safe and comfortable about them attending school: The Basildon Academies - Contact Us

Q3: How can I make an absence request?

You must submit a request to the school before you arrange for your child to have time away.
If you wish to take your child out of school during term time, you should submit a formal request to the Head of School via the school office.
The Head of School will then consider whether to give permission for the absence.
You should refer to the school’s attendance policy when considering whether to submit an absence request.

Q4: Is the school likely to grant absence requests? If so, when?

The Head of School will consider each absence request individually and decide:

*Whether to grant the absence
*How many days your child can be away from school for (if the absence is granted)

Absence requests will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. It’s up to the school to decide which circumstances are ‘exceptional’.
Examples of circumstances that are not exceptional include:
*Cheap holidays or holidays that have already been paid for
*Absence that coincides with important school events such as the start of term or exams

Q5: What if I take my child on unauthorised absence?

If you take your child out of school without advance permission, you can be fined or even prosecuted. This includes if your child is persistently late.
This could involve:
*A fine of £60 within 21 days (or, if unpaid, £120 within 28 days)
*A parenting order, education supervision order or school attendance order

My question hasn’t been answered here

Please get in touch with us by contacting our Attendance Team: lowerattendance@basildonacademies.org.uk with any further questions, and they will be happy to discuss them with you.