Late to School letter

September 2024

Dear Parent / Carer,

It’s important for your child to be here on time.

At Biddenham we believe that school is not solely a place of education but a place for creating well rounded young people who will have the best start in life. We hope when they leave Biddenham they are socially aware of their place in society and the importance of being punctual.

Our plan for 2024 is to get your child to school on time so that they are in a proper frame of mind to be their best when they arrive. When students come to class late, it can disrupt the flow of the lesson or discussion, distract other students, impede learning, and generally erode class morale.

We know that being frequently late for school adds up to lost learning:

• Arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to over 3 days lost each year.
• Arriving 15 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 2 weeks a year.

The vast majority of our students arrive at school and are in lessons on time. However some students will arrive late and we aim to keep parents and carers informed so that you can support us with this. The new gated system means that the school gates will now close at 7.55am except for Tuesdays when students start later and the gates will close at 8.55am.

Going forward

• Students who arrive late on site and all students who arrive late to first registration, (Tutor time or P1 on Tuesdays), will be marked as ‘Late to school’.

• If a student is late to school, parents will receive an In-touch text home informing them that their child was late to school.
• Students who are ‘Late to school’ will receive a 20 minute detention at lunchtime that same day.

Remember that we offer a free breakfast in the Bistro every day before school. Please encourage your child/children to take advantage of this offer. Breakfast is such an important meal for young people, helping them to concentrate and be ‘Ready’ to learn. We look forward, as always, for your support with this matter.

We would also like to take this opportunity of wishing you all the best for the new term and look forward to working with you to ensure the ongoing success of your children.

Yours faithfully,

Mr P Alexis                                                     Mr D Bailey                             Ms E Grylls

Whole School Attendance Lead                 Principal                                 Head of School