Attendance
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.
|
Descriptor |
Threshold % |
Days Attendance |
Whole Days Absence |
Learning Hours Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Excellent |
100% 99% |
190 days 188 days |
0 2 |
0 10 |
|
Good |
98% 97% 96% 95% |
186 days 184 days 182.5 days 180.5 days |
4 6 7.5 9.5 |
20 30 37.5 47.5 |
|
Concern |
94% 93% 92% 91% |
179 days 177 days 175 days 173 days |
11 13 15 17 |
55 65 75 85 |
|
Unsatisfactory |
90% 89% 88% 87% |
171 days 169 days 167 days 165 days |
19 21 23 25 |
95 105 115 125 |
|
Serious Cause for Concern |
86% |
163 days |
27 |
135 |
|
Critical |
85% 84% 83% 82% 81% 80% |
161.5 days 159.5 days 158 days 156 days 154 days 152 days |
28.5 30.5 32 34 36 38 |
142.5 152.5 160 170 180 190 |
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.
What are my responsibilities for my child’s attendance?
As a parent, you are legally responsible for making sure your child gets a suitable fulltime education, usually from the age of 5 to 16. For most parents, this will mean making sure your child is in school every day except when:
- Your child is too ill to go to school.
- You have permission for a leave of absence from your child’s school for them not to attend. You should only ask for this in exceptional circumstances.
- Your religious body has a day especially for religious observance.
Remember, send a Dojo or phone the school directly to inform us as to why your child is not going to be in school.
Impact of Lateness:
|
Minutes late per day |
= days of lost learning each year |
|---|---|
|
5 |
3.2 |
|
10 |
6.5 |
|
15 |
9.5 |
|
20 |
12.5 |
|
30 |
19 |
‘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.
- 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)