The importance of school attendance

Regular attendance is attendance at school on each day the school is open for the pupils unless there is an ‘authorisable’ reason to be absent; (registration regulations 2006 (amended). Section 444 of the education act 1996).

As a school we aim to:

• Develop and maintain a whole school culture that promotes the benefits of high attendance and good time keeping for all children and groups of children   
• Maintain a low rate of persistent (<90% attendance) and severe absenteeism (<50% attendance) 
• Maintain parents’ and pupils’ awareness of the importance of efficient and fulltime attendance.
• Help your child attain their full potential academically and socially

Good attendance is important because:

• Statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and poor attendance
• Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically
• Regular attenders find school routines, schoolwork, and friendships easier to cope with
• Regular attenders find learning more satisfying
• Regular attendance encourages responsible learning habits and prepares children for higher education and for their working life

As a parent you can help us by:

• Ensuring your child attends school on each day the school is open for the pupils unless there is an ‘authorisable’ reason to be absent. Only the school can authorise an absence.
• Phone the school on each day of absence by 9:30 am, with a reason for an absence.
• Provide a timely reason, satisfactory to the school, for an absence; otherwise, the absence will remain unauthorised.
• Arranging (where possible) all non-emergency medical and dental appointments out of school hours or during school holidays.
• Do not plan any holidays during term time.
• Keeping the school updated by telephone, email, or letter of any changes of circumstances.
• Making sure we always have your current contact numbers; this includes all telephone numbers, email addresses and emergency contact details.

Attendance record and lessons missed

• 95% attendance means 50 missed lessons. This means a child missed about 10 days or 2 weeks of lessons in the school year.
• 90% attendance means 100 missed lessons. This means a child misses four weeks of lessons in the school year.
• 85% attendance means 150 missed lessons. This means the child misses almost 6 weeks of lessons in the school year
• 80% attendance means 200 missed lessons. This means the child misses over 7 weeks of lessons in the school year
• 75% attendance means 250 missed lessons. This means the child misses about 9 weeks of lessons in the school year

Punctuality

• Arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to over 3 days lost each year, that's 20 lessons missed
• Arriving 15 minutes late every day adds up to 2 weeks absence a year, that’s 55 lessons missed
• Arriving 30 minutes late every adds up to 19 days absence a year, that’s 123 lessons missed