Admissions

All pupils at The Brookfield School have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names our school as the preferred setting. All applications, whether from in or out of county, must be made through Herefordshire Local Authority Special Educational Needs (SEN) Team,

Contact Details - Special Educational Needs Team, Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane Hereford HR4 0LE

Phone:01432 260000

Attendance

Pupils are expected to attend regularly.  Any absences should be notified to the school Office or leave a message on the schools answer phone system option 2, on each morning of the absence by 9.00 am.  This will ensure that the absence is recorded as ‘authorised’ in the register.

Regular attendance is essential for progress in all school years.  When the School becomes concerned that the child’s education is being affected by regular absence, the School’s Education Welfare Officer (EWO) will be informed. They may refer to Herefordshire Council who could consider legal proceedings. 

There are only three reasons for authorised absences which the school will require supportive evidence to enable us to consider authorising.:

• Personal illness
• Genuine family emergency or bereavement
• Medical/dental treatment that could not be arranged outside school hours

The school will not authorise absences other than those in exceptional circumstances.

Holiday requests in Term Time

There is a common misconception that any pupil is allowed to take 10 days holiday per academic year in term time. This is not true. Parents are not entitled to remove children from school for holidays as of right.

The Department for Education expect us to discourage such practice as it can lead to problems for all concerned:

• Your child’s education suffers;
• Lessons and extra-curricular activities are missed;
• Continuity of project work is lost;
• There is often no opportunity for teachers to set additional work or to assist a child in catching up on their return from holiday;
• The class is generally disrupted; other pupils suffer as a result;
• You will be in breach of your legal obligation to send your child to school.

Government has brought in guidance tightening up the regulations related to pupils taking time off in term-time. These rules came into force on 1 September 2013. Head Teachers are no longer permitted to authorise absence for holidays taken during term time. They are permitted to grant leave only in very exceptional circumstances. If you think you have exceptional circumstances, which will not include family holidays, please talk to us without delay and before arrangements are entered into or money committed.

If exceptional circumstances are accepted, the Head Teacher will determine how much absence will be authorised.​ Unauthorised absence can lead to fixed-penalty notices being issued by the local authority.