Attendance

Attendance: Every Day Counts

At The Belvedere Academy, we believe that every day counts.

Regular attendance and good punctuality are essential to helping every pupil make the most of their education. Our aim is for every pupil to attend school every day, arrive on time, and be ready to learn.

The academy has clear expectations and procedures relating to attendance and punctuality. Please read our Attendance Policy for full details.

Pupils are expected to be:
• In school every day, unless they are genuinely unable to attend;
• On site and ready to learn by 8:30am;
• Punctual to school and to every lesson;
• Prepared and ready to engage positively with their learning.

We expect pupils to achieve at least 97% attendance. It is important to remember that an attendance percentage can look high while still representing a significant amount of missed learning. Small amounts of absence can add up over time. If a pattern of absence continues throughout secondary school, the amount of missed learning can become substantial. The infographic illustrates what different attendance levels can mean over an academic year. Figures are approximate and are based on a 176-day school year and five lessons per day.

The message is simple: missing school regularly means missing learning, opportunities, and experiences that cannot be replaced.

Reporting an Absence

If your child is unable to attend school, please let us know as soon as possible and before 8:25am. Please contact the academy on 0151 727 1284 and select the option for Student Absence from the switchboard.

When reporting an absence, please provide your child’s name, year/form group, reason for absence, and any relevant information that will help us to understand when they are likely to return.

What happens if we do not hear from you?

If your child is absent and we have not received a reason for their absence by 8:25am, a member of the Attendance Team will contact you to establish why your child is not in school.

If we are unable to make contact with you, this may lead to our safeguarding procedures being followed. It is therefore important that we are able to contact parents and carers promptly when a pupil is absent.

After you have reported an absence, you may receive a follow-up call from a member of the Attendance Team. This may be to:

• request further information about your child’s absence;
• discuss when your child is expected to return to school;
• understand whether there are any barriers affecting your child’s attendance; or
• identify how we can work together to support your child’s regular attendance.

 

Medical and Dental Appointments

Where possible, please arrange medical, dental, and other appointments outside school hours, at weekends, or during school holidays. This helps to minimise disruption to your child’s learning.

We recognise that this is not always possible. Where an appointment during the school day is unavoidable, please provide the academy with the relevant information and, wherever possible, arrange for your child to attend school before and/or after the appointment.

If you are collecting your child from school for an appointment, please ensure that:

• you have informed the academy of the appointment in advance;
• your child informs their class teacher that they will be leaving school;
• your child allows sufficient time to return to their classroom and collect all belongings before leaving;
• your child signs out at the Student Services Office before making their way to Main Reception; and
• your child signs out on the screen at Main Reception before leaving the school site.

These procedures help us to maintain an accurate record of which pupils are on site at all times and support our safeguarding responsibilities.

 

Attendance Support

We recognise that there can be genuine and sometimes complex reasons why a child may struggle to attend school. Our approach is to work in partnership with pupils and families, understand barriers to attendance, and provide appropriate support wherever possible.

If you have concerns about your child’s attendance, please contact the academy as soon as possible. Early conversations can make a real difference.

At The Belvedere Academy, we have a dedicated Attendance Team who work with families to identify and mitigate barriers to attending school.

The Attendance Team can provide advice, information, and strategies tailored to address the reasons for your child’s absence.

Email: attendance@belvedereacademy.net

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STAFF

Ms E. Speed – Senior Assistant Vice Principal & Designated Attendance Lead
Dr L. Atkins – Attendance Officer (Year 7-11)
Mrs H. Needham – Family Liaison Officer
Mr E. Rimmer – Attendance Administrator
Miss S. Chesters – Sixth Form Attendance
Ms H. Devine – Head of Year 7
Miss K. Cooper – Head of Year 8
Miss K. Hannah – Head of Year 9
Mr N. Blair – Head of Year 10
Miss H. Phillips – Head of Year 11
Mr S. Mason – Head of Sixth Form
Ms S. Price-Bennett – Alternative Provision Manager – The Foundation

 

External Support

The following external services can provide additional advice and support for pupils and families.

Liverpool City Council – School Attendance, Behaviour and Welfare: Information and support relating to school attendance, behaviour and welfare.

Liverpool Family Help Hubs: Access to family help and support services for children, young people and families.

Liverpool CAMHS: Mental health support and information for children and young people.

YPAS: Support and services for children and young people.

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Requesting Leave of Absence

Parents and carers should be aware that there is no automatic entitlement to take a child out of school during term time.

Leave of absence can only be authorised in specific circumstances. Any request will be considered by the Principal, in line with the academy’s Attendance Policy and current statutory guidance.

The academy has a high threshold for authorising leave of absence during term time. Parents and carers should not make arrangements to take their child out of school before a request has been considered and approved.

All requests will be considered by the Principal, who will make a decision based on the individual circumstances and the relevant statutory guidance.

You will receive a written response confirming whether the request has been authorised or declined. Please do not assume that a request has been approved until you have received written confirmation from the academy.

If a request for leave is not submitted in advance, or if leave is taken after a request has been declined, the absence will normally be recorded as unauthorised and cannot subsequently be authorised retrospectively.

 

Penalty Notices for Unauthorised Term-Time Absence

The law does not give parents or carers an entitlement to take their child on holiday during term time.

Any request for leave, during term time, must be made in advance and can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. The Principal must be satisfied that the individual circumstances are exceptional and warrant the granting of leave.

A family holiday would not normally be considered an exceptional circumstance.

We strongly encourage families to plan holidays and other activities around the published school term dates to avoid disruption to their child’s education – The Belvedere Academy Term Dates

Taking a child out of school during term time without the school’s authorisation may result in a penalty notice being issued by the local authority.

Under the current national framework:

• The penalty is £80 per parent, per child, if paid within 21 days.
• If it is not paid within 21 days, the amount increases to £160, payable within 28 days.
• A second penalty notice for the same child within a rolling three-year period is charged at £160.
• A parent can receive a maximum of two penalty notices for the same child within a three-year period. Further unauthorised absence may result in other legal action, including prosecution.