Attendance at Brookfield School
Every Day Matters, Every Lesson Matters, Everyone Matters
At Brookfield School, we know that attendance isn’t just about being present in the building — it’s about feeling safe, supported, regulated, and ready to learn. For many of our pupils, especially within an SEMH setting, getting into school every day can be a big achievement. That’s why we work closely with families to remove barriers, build confidence, and make each school day feel manageable and meaningful.
This overview should be read and applied alongside the Attendance Policy.
Good attendance helps pupils:
- build trusting relationships with staff
- maintain routines that support emotional stability
- access learning in small, safe environments
- take part in therapeutic and social programmes
- prepare for independence and life beyond school
Even small improvements in attendance can create big shifts in progress, wellbeing, and confidence.
How We Support Attendance Across Our Three Sites
Brookfield operates across three separate provisions so we have developed a strong and consistent structure to make sure every pupil is known, supported, and given the best possible chance to succeed.
We use a distributed leadership model for attendance.
This means support doesn’t sit with one person — it sits with a team.
Our Senior Leaders meet weekly (PDSI) to discuss pupil needs, concerns and strategies. Attendance and engagement data is analysed and addressed as part of this process.
Our Attendance Support Structure
Family Support & Attendance Worker
Our Family Support Workers are the first point of contact for families. They work alongside you to:
- understand barriers affecting your child’s attendance
- carry out home visits
- support morning routines and transitions
- help with Early Help or multi-agency support
- offer practical, non-judgemental guidance
- This role exists to help, not pressure.
Pastoral Manager
Each site has a Pastoral Manager who ensures your child is supported in school. They help with:
- anxiety around attending lessons
- safe spaces
- emotional regulation
- relationship-building with key staff
- adapting routines or transitions where needed
- They work closely with Family Support Workers so that what happens at home and what happens at school are fully joined up.
Provision Lead
The Provision Lead is the site leader responsible for ensuring attendance support is consistent, personalised, and proactive. They:
- oversee attendance plans
- approve timetable or curriculum adjustments
- coordinate multi-agency involvement
- review patterns and set actions for the site
- support families through more complex or long-term challenges
- They make sure each site has a clear plan for any pupil struggling to attend.
Senior Attendance Champion (SAC)
The Senior Attendance Champion oversees attendance across the whole school. Their role is to:
- maintain consistency across all three sites
- review data and improvement plans
- support staff with training and strategy
- ensure our approach remains relational, supportive, and aligned with SEMH needs
- They report to the Headteacher and Governors on attendance each half term.
Our Approach: Supportive and Understanding
We understand that attendance can be affected by:
- anxiety or emotional overwhelm
- sleep/food routines
- mental health needs
- social pressure or sensory overload
- transport challenges
- parental wellbeing
- previous negative experiences of education
We don’t blame families — we work with you to understand what’s going on and what will help.
Our aim is always: early identification → early help → small steps → long-term confidence.
What Families Can Expect
When attendance becomes a concern, you can expect:
- early, supportive contact from our Family Support Worker
- friendly check-ins, not formal letters as a first step
- meetings that focus on barriers, not blame
- a personalised attendance plan
- in-school adjustments to help your child feel safe and ready
- regular updates so you know what’s happening
- multi-agency support if needed
- We see attendance as a team effort — school, family, and pupil working together.
If You Need Support
If you’re finding it hard to get your child into school, please get in touch.
We will always listen.
We will always work with you.
And together, we can make every day feel a little more manageable.