Attendance Policy

Policy details

• Date created - 01/11/2023
• Next review date - 01/11/2025
• Policy owner - Michelle Khambhaita

1. Rationale
2. Aims
3. Legal Framework
4. Strategies to Promote and Maintain High Standards of Attendance and Punctuality
5. Registers
6. Authorised and Unauthorised Absence
7. Extended Leave Procedures
8. Punctuality
9. Medical Appointments
10. Monitoring
11.  Attendance Panels
12.  Children under 5
13. Appendices

Rationale

Co-op Academy Penny Oaks is committed to providing a full and effective educational experience to all pupils.  We believe that regular and punctual attendance is essential if children are to benefit fully from their time at school. It is a high priority for the school and impacts directly on our drive to raise standards.  Attendance is regarded as a measure of the quality of the education offered by a school and the government expects that all primary schools should achieve a target of at least 96%.

 Aims

• To ensure that all pupils attend school regularly and punctually
• To develop an attitude throughout the whole school community that values regular attendance
• To provide an effective but manageable means of monitoring attendance and punctuality
• To provide effective and prompt support for children and families experiencing difficulties over attendance
• To ensure effective communication between school and parents when dealing with attendance and punctuality issues
• To set out the correct procedures for maintaining attendance registers and following up absence and lateness
• To clarify procedures for holiday leave in term time

Legal Framework

Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 states that:

‘The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him/her to receive efficient, full time education suitable to his/her age, aptitude and ability and to any special educational needs he/she may have either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.’

Section 444 further states that:-

‘The parent of a child of compulsory school age registered at school and failing to attend regularly is guilty of an offence punishable in law.’

An offence is not committed if it can be demonstrated that:

• the pupil was absent with leave (authorised absence)
• the pupil was ill or prevented from attending by unavoidable cause
• the absence occurred on a day set aside for religious observance by the religious body to which the pupil/parents belong

The Act also places a legal obligation on:

• Schools to register attendance and notify the LA of a child’s absence from school without authorisation for 10 or more school days
• The governing body to make sure that an admission register and attendance registers are kept
• Children’s services to provide support to schools and enforce attendance

Co-op Academy Penny Oaks will:

• Give attendance and punctuality a high priority
• Provide and promote a welcoming and positive atmosphere so that children feel safe and their presence is valued
• Raise awareness of the importance of full attendance and punctuality using newsletters and other communications to parents
• Encourage parents to support fully the policy as a vital contribution towards their child’s education
• Encourage pupils to have a positive attitude towards attendance and punctuality so that they can retain this into adult life
• Ensure that attendance is monitored effectively and absences are followed up promptly (First day absence contact, followed with a home visit if no response)
• Communicate effectively with other agencies (Traveller Service, Health, Social Services etc.)

• Meet the legal requirements with particular reference to authorised and unauthorised absence
• Ensure that all members of staff comply with the school policy and deal consistently with absence and punctuality
• Ensure information is available for Governors and parents
• Ensure good liaison where a change of school occurs
• Provide incentives for good attendance and punctuality
• Share good practice with other schools
• Have procedures in place to help children settle in after a long absence

Strategies to Promote and Maintain High Standards of Attendance and Punctuality

• All new parents are provided with information on attendance procedures during an induction meeting.
• School newsletters are used as a vehicle to promote this aspect of school life and to serve as a reminder
• Individual parents are approached when there is concern about their child’s attendance or punctuality and invited to a meeting to discuss attendance
• Attendee Bear is presented to the class with the best attendance during Friday’s Celebration Assembly
• Attendance certificates and books are awarded to children with over 98% attendance every term.
• Red, amber and green slips are used to display weekly class attendance – green slips prize draw at the end of each half term
• Half-termly letters sent to parents detailing child’s attendance
• Work with LA to issue fixed penalty notices as necessary
• Work with LA to issue holiday fines as necessary

 We expect parents to:

• Provide up to date contact numbers and changes of address
• Notify the school when their child is unable to attend, with a reason, on the first day of the absence, preferably before 09.30 a.m.
• Contact the school after the first day of absence to advise the school if the absence is continuing
• In cases of lengthy absence, keep the school well informed so that work can be sent home in certain cases and in order for the school to be prepared for the child’s return
• Provide a note indicating attendance at the dentist, doctor or optician 24 hours before the arranged appointment unless an emergency situation has arisen
• Provide a doctor’s note when the child returns from an absence because of illness (if the child’s attendance is under review or being monitored.) This should be on the first day of the child’s return to school
• Ensure that their child arrives at school on time each day
• Let the school know if their child is going to be late e.g. if a car breaks down or if an urgent appointment has been made
• Understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality and promote this with their child

Registers

Registers close at 09.00 and 13.10.  Lateness after this time is classed an unauthorised absence unless it is for a medical appointment or a reason is provided which can be authorised by the Headteacher.

Authorised and Unauthorised Absence

Absences can be authorised only for illness (exceptions apply – see below), religious observance, or absence following the death of a close member of the family.

 The ultimate responsibility to authorise absence, or not, rests with the Headteacher. If the Headteacher is not satisfied with the reasons provided, the absence will be categorised as unauthorised.

 An absence will be classified as unauthorised when:

• A child is kept off school because a parent is ill
• A child is absent because a sibling is ill
• The parent cannot get the child to school
• The child is taken on a shopping trip
• The child is taken to the airport
• The child is absent because of a birthday/family treat
• A child is absent because of family work patterns
• The child refuses to come to school or wants to stay at home
• A child is more than half an hour late without a satisfactory explanation
• A child is taken on holiday
• Absence for the following illnesses will not be authorised: sneezing, injury (for example leg aches), tiredness, hay fever, feeling sick (but not actually vomited), temperature, headache, runny nose or a cough.

It is a legal requirement for a school to report percentages of authorised and unauthorised absences to parents in the School Profile and to the DCFS.

 Extended Leave Procedures

At Co-op Academy Penny Oaks we

• Agree to follow Children’s Services Holiday in Term Time Policy
• No holidays will be authorised during term time.
• If an unauthorised holiday is taken and pupils do not return to school within ten days of the agreed return date or after twenty days of unauthorised absence and there is no good reason for the non-return, the pupils will be removed from roll, and parents will need to reapply for school places.
• Ensure that parents will complete a Leave of Absence during Term Time form (appendix 1).
• Arrange a meeting between the headteacher and parents to discuss potential extended leave plans due to exceptional circumstances.
• Explain to parents that if they take extended leave/holiday in term without the permission of the school OR take additional days in excess of the agreed number of days, the school will request that Children’s Services issue a Penalty Notice under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996. This may lead to a fixed penalty notice being issued and a fine of £60 per child per parent if paid within 21 days and £120 per parent per child if paid after this time but within 28 days.or ultimately a fine of £2,500 per child per parent and a criminal record issued through the magistrate’s court. You may also lose your child’s place in the school. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in a prosecution in the Magistrates Court. This will be confirmed by letter once the meeting has taken place (appendix 2)
• Promote the positive impact of not taking extended leave in term time.

• Parents/carers must notify school where a child is unable to return to school by the agreed date with evidence (permissible circumstances may include: serious illness/accident; death of a family member; flight delays; severe weather conditions; war/civil unrest).
• The Attendance Officer will follow up individual circumstances of non-return and action in accordance with school policy and the legal position.
• A parent may seek authority for extended leave retrospectively, where sudden departure occurs.

• When a pupil has more than 6 sessions unauthorised absence in a six-week period, this will trigger a staged intervention approach: If the attendance does not improve through stage one then stage 2 will be triggered.            

Punctuality

The school day begins at 08.50 a.m. when the register is taken. Children may come into the Breakfast Club from 08.00 a.m.. Children arriving after 8.50 a.m. must enter through the main entrance and their lateness will be recorded along with the reason.

Parents of children who persistently arrive late will be approached and reminded of these times and their obligation to comply. It will be explained that the lateness not only interrupts their child’s education but also that of others in the class.

If a child arrives more than half an hour late, with no acceptable reason given by their parent, this will constitute an unauthorised absence.

If parents know their child is going to be late for any reason, they should let the school know. If a regular pattern of lateness is observed, a note will be sent home asking the parent to explain the lateness or to ensure that punctuality is maintained.

In rare circumstances, where the school is made aware of an exceptional situation, an arrangement allowing a degree of flexibility can be agreed with the Headteacher.

Medical Appointments

We actively encourage parents to make all medical appointment out of school time.  If this is not possible ensure the school is given a minimum of 24 hours’ notice.  Appointment letters must be shown to office staff.

Monitoring

The Attendance Officer will keep the Governors informed about attendance matters.

All members of staff are expected to comply with the policy and any issues will be discussed at staff meetings.

Attendance Panels

Parents whose children do not attend regularly may be called to appear before attendance panels chaired by:

• Children Services
• Headteacher/Attendance Officer
• Governors

Children Under 5

Whilst there is no legal requirement for parents of children under 5 to attend school, we consider that regular attendance is essential from the day that a child is admitted.

Where the attendance of a child under 5 falls below 95%, parents will be contacted and informed of the School Policy.

If a child registered in the Nursery fails to attend for a period of 4 weeks without prior authorisation, the child’s name will be removed from the school roll and the parents informed. In the event that the Nursery is oversubscribed, the child’s name will be added to the bottom of the waiting list

Appendix 1 – Extended leave request:

(To be sent on school letterhead)

APPLICATION FOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL

 Meeting with parents

 Date: ___________

APPROVED                     NOT APPROVED            

Agreed date of return: _______________

Failure to return your child/children on the agreed date could result in unauthorised absence being recorded. This may lead to a fixed penalty notice being issued and a fine of £60 per child per parent or ultimately a fine of £2,500 per child per parent and a criminal record issued through the magistrate’s court. You may also lose your child’s place in the school.

Parent’s signature: _________________________________            Date: ____________

Headteacher’s signature: ___________________________              Date: ____________

N.B.  Shaded areas to be completed by school

 Appendix 2 – staged intervention flowchart stage 1:

Appendix 3 – Stage 1 letters:

Template Letter N

Dear <name of parent / carer> 

According to our records, <name of pupil> has recently been absent from school.  You will be aware that it is the parent’s responsibility to notify the school on the first day of a pupil’s absence to explain the reasons why the <s/he> is unable to attend school and an expected date when <s/he> should return.  Unfortunately, we have not received any contact from you.

 I am therefore writing to you to give you an opportunity to explain the recent absences.  Please complete the tear off slip below and return it to the school as soon as possible.  Any absence that hasn’t been explained within two weeks will be categorised as “Unauthorised” Absence – an explanation of this term and the possible consequences are attached. 

If you wish to discuss this letter further, please contact me on <school telephone number>.

Yours sincerely

<School Contact>

Please complete this slip and return to <location> as soon as possible.

 Dates of unexplained absence:

<Dates of N Codes>

 Explanation for the above dates of unexplained absence:

Parent/Carer Signature…………………………             Date………………………. 

 Template Letter 1

Dear <Name of Parent>

As part of our commitment to improving the attainment of our pupils we monitor pupil attendance on a regular basis.  During our regular monitoring of pupil attendance, we identify any pupil whose attendance causes concern.  We then issue a first Letter to register our concern with parents.  We are therefore writing to you due to <Name of pupil>’s current level of attendance:

The information below shows how attendance can affect your child’s future progression.

If you have any queries or would like to talk to anyone about attendance, please do not hesitate to contact <named school person> on <telephone number>

 Yours sincerely

 <School contact>

 Template Letter Medical

Dear <name of parent / carer> 

Since we wrote to you on <date of 1st letter>, <name of pupil>’s attendance has failed to improve significantly, and is now <attendance percentage>%.  This is below what we expect and to put this into perspective 90% attendance is equivalent to missing 19 days of school per year.

When looking into the reasons why <name of pupil> has been absent from school, we noticed that the majority of the absence was linked to illness and/or medical reasons.

 Due to the level of illness and/or medical absence, I must ask that if any further absence occurs, evidence must be received by the school that shows that the pupil has been absent and is being supported by a Doctor. Some examples of evidence that could be used are: Prescriptions, Appointment Cards, Doctor’s Notes, e.t.c.

 If this evidence is not supplied when your child returns after an illness or medical absence, your child’s absence will be recorded as “unauthorised”.

We would appreciate your support to make sure <name of child>’s attendance improves.  The school will continue to monitor the situation and will be in touch again if it does not improve.

Thank you for your cooperation

Yours sincerely

<School Contact>

Template Letter 2

Dear <name of parent / carer> 

Since we wrote to you on <date of 1st letter>, <name of pupil>’s attendance has failed to improve significantly, and is now <attendance percentage>%.  This is below what we expect and to put this into perspective 90% attendance is equivalent to missing 19 days of school per year – your child will spend more time at home than at school this academic year!

 Ongoing low attendance is a factor often linked to low levels of academic success.  It is important that low attendance is dealt with as early as possible to prevent poor habits of attendance forming with <name of pupil>.  Poor attendance habits now will make it increasingly difficult for you to ensure your child attends school regularly as they get older.

 We wish to help <name of pupil> to improve <his/her> attendance.  If you would like to discuss <name of pupil>’s attendance, please contact <school contact> on <school contact number> and I will be happy to talk with you and if required arrange a meeting. 

 We would appreciate your support to make sure <name of child>’s attendance improves.  The school will continue to monitor the situation and may refer your child’s absence to Bradford Council for consideration of a fixed penalty notice fine or legal action if unauthorised absence continues to occur.

Thank you for your cooperation

Yours sincerely

<School Contact>

Template Letter 3

Dear <name of parent / carer> 

As you will be aware from our previous two letters, we have concerns with regard to <name of pupil>’s attendance of <attendance percentage>%.  Unfortunately, we have not received a satisfactory reason for <name of pupil>’s absence and their attendance has failed to improve significantly.

 I enclose your child’s most recent registration certificate for your information.

 Ongoing low attendance is a factor often linked to low levels of academic success.  It is important that low attendance is dealt with as early as possible to prevent poor habits of attendance forming with <name of pupil>.  Poor attendance habits now will make it increasingly difficult for you to ensure your child attends school regularly as they get older.

 We wish to help <name of pupil> to improve <his/her> attendance.  I would like you to attend a meeting in school with me on <date> at <time> to discuss what we can all do to help <name of pupil> attend more regularly.

 If you are unable to attend this meeting, please contact me as soon as possible so we can arrange another time and date to meet.

Yours sincerely,

<School Contact>

 Template Letter: Lates

Dear <Name of Parent>

As part of our commitment to improving the attainment of our pupils we monitor pupil attendance on a regular basis.  During our regular monitoring of pupil attendance we identify any pupil whose attendance causes concern, including those pupils who have arrived late to school on a number of occasions. We are therefore writing to you due to <Name of pupil>’s current number of late sessions:

Being late to school can have a considerable impact over the whole school year. The table below shows you just how much time can be missed over a year just by being 5 minutes late to school every day

We understand that the school mornings can be hectic, but when your child is late for school they are missing out on vital parts of their education.  If your child arrives 30 minutes after the register has been taken, they will have an “unauthorised” late mark – this is the same as an “unauthorised absence” - an explanation of this term and the possible consequences are attached.         

If you have any queries or would like to talk to anyone about attendance, please do not hesitate to contact <named school person> on <telephone number>

Yours sincerely

<School contact>

Appendix 4: Stage 1 - Record of meeting with parents

Appendix 5: Stage one tracking form

Next Steps:

1. If through contact with parent/carer(s) it becomes apparent that the family have unmet needs that require additional/intensive support then consider:

Requesting Stage 2 School Attendance Intervention from your Attendance Improvement Officer (if school has Service Level Agreement with Education Safeguarding Team) or conduct Stage 2 School Attendance Intervention Process – Attendance is below 90% in the last 12 weeks and unauthorised absence has been recorded

Completion of Early Help Assessment - please refer to EHA guidance on Bradford Schools Online - https://bso.bradford.gov.uk/content/prevention-and-early-help

Referral to Children’s Social Care - https://www.bradford.gov.uk/children-young-people-and-families/safeguarding-children/safeguarding-children/

2. If the parent/carer has failed to engage with you, or the pupil continues to record unauthorised absence and no satisfactory reason for absence has been provided consider:

 ·         For low levels of attendance – Request for Poor Attendance Penalty Notice - https://bso.bradford.gov.uk/content/penalty-notices

 ·         Requesting Stage 2 School Attendance Intervention from your Attendance Improvement Officer (if school has Service Level Agreement with Education Safeguarding Team) or conduct Stage 2 School Attendance Intervention Process – Attendance is below 90% in the last 12 weeks and unauthorised absence has been recorded

Appendix 6: Stage 2 intervention request form

Appendix 7:

Stage 2 intervention flowchart:

Appendix 8 - Stage 2 intervention letters:

 Warning Letter 1 / Enforcement Letter 1

Dear <Name of Parent>

 Name of Child:  <name of pupil>                                       DOB: <date of birth>

 Attendance Percentage: <attendance percentage>%.

Regular attendance at school is a major focus for the Department for Education (DFE) and Bradford Council. In an effort to improve pupil’s school attendance, schools and the council work together to challenge parents who fail to ensure their children attend school regularly without any known justifiable cause.

 <name of pupil>’s attendance this academic year is currently <attendance percentage>%. This is considerably below what our school, the government and Bradford Council considers to be a level of attendance recommended for children to achieve their educational potential. Please note that parents are advised to provide an explanation for their child’s absence. Absences through illness will no longer be authorised without medical evidence, for example a letter from your doctor, a copy of your child’s prescription or an appointment card.

 I will be monitoring your child’s attendance for the next 3 weeks. Should there be any further unauthorised absences I will invite you to an Attendance Panel Meeting. It is the Headteacher’s decision as to whether to accept any parental explanation for absence. Please be aware that pupils arriving to school after the official close of registers will be marked as ‘unauthorised absent’ unless there are legitimate reasons for your child’s late arrival.

Every day in school counts towards <name of pupil>’s future, and I thank you in advance for supporting <name of school> in ensuring excellent school attendance.

If you are experiencing any difficulties, or do not understand aspects of this letter, please contact me on the above telephone number.

 Yours sincerely

<School contact>

Attendance Panel Meeting Invite / Enforcement Letter 2

 Dear <Name of Parent>

 Name of Child:  <name of pupil>                                 DOB: <date of birth>

 Attendance Percentage: <attendance percentage>%.

 You will recall that I wrote to you on <date of Enforcement Letter 1> regarding <name of pupil>’s poor attendance at school. I enclose a copy of <name of student>’s registration certificate, showing that since (date), <name of student> has had <number of unauthorised sessions> sessions of unauthorised absence. You will notice that further unauthorised absence has occurred.

Unfortunately, <name of pupils>’s attendance has failed to improve sufficiently. <name of student>’s current attendance is <attendance percentage>%. I am therefore inviting you to attend an Attendance Panel Meeting. The meeting is scheduled to take place at <name of school> on <date> at <time>. You will be asked to agree to a parenting contract to support <name of student>’s attendance at school. If you are unable to attend the meeting or require an interpreter, please contact me as soon as possible.

Absences through illness will no longer be authorised for your child without medical evidence, for example a letter from your doctor, a copy of your child’s prescription or an appointment card. It is your responsibility to ensure that you inform the school of any absences through illness and to provide the appropriate medical evidence.

 I must remind you that it is a parent’s responsibility to ensure that their children receive an education. This is stated in Section 444 of the 1996 Education Act:

"If a child of compulsory school age who is a registered pupil at a school fails to attend regularly at the school, their parent is guilty of an offence".

Should you be prosecuted for failure to ensure <name of student>’s regular attendance at school, you may be sentenced to a fine of up to £2,500 and/or a 3-month custodial sentence.

If you are experiencing any difficulties, or do not understand aspects of this letter please contact me on the above telephone number.

Yours sincerely

<school contact>

 Enforcement Letter 2A - Parent did not attend Attendance Panel Meeting

Dear <Name of Parent>

Name of Child:  <name of pupil>                                 DOB: <date of birth>

Attendance Percentage: <attendance percentage>%.

I am sorry you were unable to attend the Attendance Panel Meeting today. However, the importance of this meeting cannot be stressed enough as <name of pupil>’s school attendance continues to be irregular with many unauthorised absences. I enclose a copy of <his/her> registration certificate, which shows that <name of pupil> has attended <attendances made> out of a possible <sessions available> sessions at school; <unauthorised sessions> of which are classed as unauthorised absence.

 The decision has therefore been taken to continue to monitor your child’s attendance until <date of review>.  At that point your child’s attendance will be reviewed, and if they are still causing a concern, a decision will be made as to what further action will be taken.

The school may continue to unauthorise future absences unless medical evidence is provided.  Medical evidence may include appointment cards, copies of prescriptions, letters from specialists etc

I continue to be available to you to offer support regarding <name of pupil>’s school attendance, therefore please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss the situation further.

 Finally, I must remind you that the Education Act 1996 states that it is the responsibility of the parent/carer to ensure that their child regularly attends the school at which they are on roll.  A failure to do this could result in legal action being taken by Bradford Council.

Yours sincerely

<school contact>

 Final Warning Letter / Enforcement Letter 3

 Dear <Name of Parent>

 Name of Child:  <name of pupil>                                 DOB: <date of birth>

 Attendance Percentage: <attendance percentage>%.

Despite previous attempts to improve <name of pupil>’s poor attendance at <name of school> I remain concerned at the level of unauthorised absence. I enclose a copy of <name of pupil>’s registration certificate, showing that since (date), <name of pupil> has had <unauthorised sessions> sessions of unauthorised absence. You will be aware from previous contact from me that you are legally responsible for the regular attendance of your child at school.

 Following a thorough assessment of this case, the decision has been made to refer your child’s poor attendance to Bradford Council.  Bradford Council will now be conducting a criminal investigation and considering whether or not to instigate legal proceedings against you for an offence under Section 444 of the 1996 Education Act:

“If a child of compulsory school age who is a registered pupil at a school fails to attend regularly at the school, their parent is guilty of an offence”

The Local Authority will be in contact with you shortly, and in the meantime I would urge you to ensure your child attends school regularly.  If you are experiencing any difficulties or you do not understand aspects of this letter, please contact me on the above telephone number.

Yours sincerely

<school contact>

Appendix 9

Parenting Contract

Parents’ consent to information sharing

By signing this parenting contract, we understand and agree that information about me/us has been and will continue to be collected so that we, the School and Bradford Council can assess and provide appropriate assistance and services.  The School and Bradford Council may also use this information for service planning, monitoring and research purposes and may share the information with external agencies and providers of relevant services that they need to work with, to ensure that we are provided with the most appropriate services.

We understand that this information will be stored either electronically or in the manual records by the School/Bradford Council for case management purposes, to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the plan.  The School/Bradford Council will keep the information updated and notify anyone who is given the information of any changes to ensure corrections are made.

Appendix 10:

Stage 2 tracking form 

  NB:

• The amount of Early Help/Support and enforcement action undertaken by the school (or their traded Attendance Improvement Officer) should be judged on a case by case basis, but there is an expectation that Early Help/Support underpins any Enforcement Action, and vice-versa.
• Therefore prior to a child’s attendance being progressed to stage 3 school attendance statutory intervention, there should be evidence that initial enforcement action has been undertaken (letters 1,2 and 3 have been sent, and APM/Parenting Contract attempted), and welfare support put in place where unmet need has been identified.  There should also be evidence that the parent/carer(s) have failed to effectively engage with Stage 1 and 2 interventions.

Next Steps:

Stage 3 School Attendance Statutory Intervention – Criminal Investigation Request:

• When all attempts to engage with the family at intervention stages 1 and 2 have failed, and the criteria has been met, the school can refer to the Education Safeguarding Team to undertake a criminal investigation in line with the Criminal Investigation Process
• To ensure that the investigation is as speedy as possible, the school should ensure the Statutory Intervention request is completed thoroughly, ensuring as much information and evidence of previous intervention is included, as well as naming any other practitioners who are currently involved with supporting the family.

• At any point during the Criminal Investigation process an unmet need is identified that was not identified previously, or support for an unmet need has not been sought, then the investigation will cease and the case returned to the school for Early Help/Support to be attempted.

• If the Education Safeguarding Team proceeds with legal action, a witness statement may be taken from the school outlining what intervention has preceded the stage 3 statutory intervention request.  In instances where schools have a traded Attendance Improvement Officer who provides Stage 1 and/or Stage 2 intervention, the Attendance Improvement Officer would provide the witness statement.  

 Appendix 11 : Stage 3 intervention request form

 Please email the completed Statutory Intervention Request together with 1) Attendance Certificate for the last 12 weeks signed by the headteacher/proprietor AND 2) Stage Two Tracking Form to Attlegal@bradford.gov.uk