Attendance

  • Miss L. Grigg

    Administrator

Having high attendance is the single most important factor in determining children's educational achievement at school.

Research has shown that children who have high attendance also have higher attainment, children whose attendance is below 90% only have a 20% chance of achieving the expected levels in the core subjects at the end of their year.

It is therefore extremely important that our pupils attend school regularly, as unnecessary time off has a dramatic impact on attainment and progress. We understand that children may be away from school for valid reasons. If your child is unwell please notify the school office on the morning of the first day of their illness.


We will regularly update parents of their child’s current attendance levels. If you child has poor attendance, below 90% then we may refer them to the Education Welfare Team. An Education Welfare Officer visits the school fortnightly and will contact parents to support families in improving their child’s attendance.

If a pupil is taken on an unauthorised holiday during term time and the total number of unauthorised absences in a 12 month period meets the threshold of 11 sessions or more, a penalty notice may be issued.

 

We know the impact regular attendance has on your child’s learning and well-being; and that having good attendance is directly linked to raising achievement and develops skills for life and work. We have many initiatives to celebrate and support attendance in school and ask that parents/careers support the school in this by ensuring that your child attends school every day and arrives ready to learn and on time.

If there are concerns about your child's lateness or attendance, someone from the Attendance Team will contact you. Please be open about the challenges you are facing, in order for the school to try their best to support you and your child to improve their attendance.

 

The link between attendance and attainment is clear:

• In 2018/19, just 40% of persistently absent (PA) children in KS2 achieved expected KS2 standards, compared with 84% of pupils who were regular attenders.

• And 36% of PA children in KS4 got 9 to 4 in their English and maths GCSEs, also compared with 84% of regular attenders.

It’s never too late to benefit from good attendance:

• More than half (54%) of pupils who were PA in Year 10 and then rarely absent in Year 11, passed at least 5 GCSEs, compared to 36% of pupils who were persistently absent in both years.

Attendance is important for more than just attainment:

• Regular school attendance can facilitate positive peer relationships, which is a protective factor for mental health and wellbeing.

· Clear Daily Routines

· Expectations for Parents - who to contact for daily absence.

· Impact of absence – missed learning.

 

‘Lateness for anyone, child or adult, can make us feel vulnerable. Walking into a settled focused classroom, trying to catch up with the lost learning and missing out on the vital start of the day opportunities prepared by teachers, contribute to making it harder for a child to feel settled and confident. If this is a regular occurrence, it can have a profound impact on your child's learning and well-being.

 

· Weekly Attendance per Year Group/Whole School and Targets

· Links to national websites/information Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk) Back to school week – Everything you need to know about school attendance - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk) School attendance and absence: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk