Attendance in school is a major indicator of success. Pupils with high attendance are able to access learning, support and social experiences.

The school has an attendance policy which guides its actions. This includes informing parents of attendance rates, targeted interventions, links with the Home Link Officers to support attendance, and linking to planned interventions via Team Around the Child meetings and Local Authority support.

If you have any questions or concerns about attendance, please contact our Principal Teachers of Guidance.

Reporting Attendance

Parents are able to report attendance via the school absence line. East Dunbartonshire Council’s policy states that parents should notify their child’s school if their child is absent from school. In some instances it might not be possible for parents to pre-notify the school of an absence because their child may have become unwell during the night. In these circumstances, parents should notify the school before 8.50 am on the morning of absence.

Parents should include the reason for absence and likely duration of absence in their message. The telephone number for the pupil absence line is: 0141 955 2345.

Latecoming at Bearsden Academy

School latecoming can contribute to missed learning. At the start of our day, registration teacher use “Registration Matters” to outline key themes, dates and information about the school. At school assemblies, teachers highlight the school values, share events within our school community, and celebrate success.

Latecoming after 09:00am can lead to pupils missing the start of lessons, and this can have an impact on learning.

Reporting on latecoming

In October 2025, the school will begin to provide updates on latecoming for:

• Pupils who arrive late for registration (the teacher has not been able to register them before 08:55am)
• Pupils who arrive late for school classes (signing into the office after 09:00am but are not marked for an appointment)

The school is open prior to 08:50 for pupils to wait in the main social area. Our new café will be open for pupils from 08:30am.

For Pupils

• Arrival before 08:55am, pupils should attend their class (registration)
• Arrival after 08:55am, pupils should wait in the canteen area before heading to period 1, to allow “sweep up” in corridors and organised end to registration.
• Arrival after 09:00am, pupils should enter through the front entrance and sign in at the school office.

For Parents/Carers

• Parents/carers should contact the school office via phone or Parents Portal to inform of the reason for any late-coming.