Attendance

Attendance and Punctuality

Every School Day Matters at Brill

At Brill Church of England School, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to flourish, achieve their potential and enjoy all that school life has to offer.

Guided by our Christian vision, With the wind in our sails, we shall live ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10), we recognise that regular attendance plays an important part in helping children develop academically, socially and emotionally.

Every school day provides opportunities for learning, friendship, personal growth and enrichment. Being in school regularly helps children feel a sense of belonging, build positive relationships and develop the confidence to succeed.

We believe that attendance is everyone’s responsibility, and we are committed to working positively with families to ensure that every child can attend, feel safe and thrive.

The School Day

Being on time helps children settle calmly, feel prepared and make a positive start to their learning.

• 8:20am – School ‘soft’ start. Gates are opened and children will complete early morning work in classrooms.
• 8:30am – Morning registration begins, all children must be in the classroom by this time.
• 8:50am – Morning registration closes, any pupil arriving after this time will be marked with an unauthorised absence.

Children arriving after 8:30am must enter through the School Office with an adult and be signed in. This will be marked as ‘Late’ in the register.

We ask all families to support good routines by ensuring children arrive at school on time, ready to learn.

Reporting Your Child’s Absence

If your child is unwell or unable to attend school, please contact the School Office as soon as possible on the first morning of absence.

Please provide:

• Your child’s name and class.
• The reason for their absence.
• Their expected return date, where known.

If your child remains absent, please continue to keep us informed.

Where we have not received an explanation for an absence, we will contact parents or carers on the first day. This is an important part of our safeguarding responsibilities and helps us ensure that all children are safe.

Illness and Medical Appointments

We understand that children sometimes become unwell and need time to recover.

In most circumstances, a parent’s explanation of a short-term illness is sufficient, and we will not routinely request medical evidence.

Where possible, we ask families to arrange routine medical and dental appointments outside school hours. If this is not possible, children should attend school before or after their appointment wherever reasonably practicable.

If your child has ongoing medical needs or a health condition affecting their attendance, please speak to us so that we can explore appropriate support together.

Holidays and Leave During Term Time

We recognise the importance of family time and the opportunities that holidays provide. However, holidays during term time are not an automatic entitlement and will not normally be authorised.

Under national attendance regulations, the Headteacher can only authorise leave in circumstances permitted by law, including where exceptional circumstances apply.

Requests for leave must be submitted in advance, ideally before any travel arrangements are made. Each application will be considered individually, taking account of the circumstances.

Unauthorised absence, including holidays taken without permission, may result in a penalty notice issued by Buckinghamshire Council.

Understanding Attendance

Even relatively small amounts of absence can add up over the school year.

Figures are based on a typical 190-day school year.

A child who misses 10% or more of possible school sessions is considered persistently absent under national guidance.

We monitor attendance regularly so that we can identify emerging concerns early and offer support before difficulties become more significant.

Working Together to Improve Attendance

At Brill, we understand that there can be many reasons why a child may find attending school difficult.

These might include illness, anxiety, special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), family circumstances, friendship difficulties or other challenges.

Our approach is always to listen, understand and support first.

Where attendance becomes a concern, we will work with children and families to:

• Understand the reasons behind absence.
• Identify and remove barriers wherever possible.
• Offer appropriate pastoral or additional support.
• Make reasonable adjustments where needed.
• Agree practical steps to improve attendance.
• Review progress together and celebrate improvements.

We work closely with families, our school SENDCo and other professionals where additional support may be helpful.

We recognise that every child is different, and our approach will always consider their individual needs and circumstances.

Our Shared Commitment

Good attendance is built on positive relationships between school and home.

We ask parents and carers to support regular attendance, communicate openly with us and contact school as early as possible if difficulties arise.

In return, we are committed to listening without judgement, offering appropriate support and working in partnership to help every child succeed.

Where attendance does not improve despite appropriate support, or where support is not engaged with, formal attendance procedures may be considered in line with statutory guidance and Buckinghamshire Council’s arrangements.

Our priority remains the wellbeing, safety and education of every child.

Attendance Policy and Further Information

For full information about our approach to attendance, including absence procedures, leave requests, support arrangements and statutory responsibilities, please read our Attendance Policy 2026–2027.

If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance or would like to discuss how we can help, please contact the School Office.

Together, we can help every child be bold, be brave and be Brill-iant!

NHS Advice Links