Attendance is a key factor in supporting students to maximise their full potential and be ready to live lives full of choice and opportunity on completion of their studies with us. We believe that all students are only able to achieve their full potential if they attend school punctually and avoid missing lessons. Punctuality to school is crucial to create a calm and purposeful atmosphere and students who are persistently late can disrupt their own and others’ learning. We expect students to arrive on time for learning.
- 90% attendance is an average of one day out of school per fortnight over a school year.
- 90% attendance over 5 years at secondary school is half a school year missed.
- 80% attendance over 5 years at secondary school is the same as one whole school year missed.
Consistent Attendance and Academic Success
Regular attendance is crucial for a student’s academic success. It allows students to take full advantage of educational opportunities, helping them build a strong foundation of knowledge and skills. Missing school means missing out on lessons, which can lead to gaps in learning and lower academic performance.
Social and Emotional Development
School is not just about academic learning; it’s also a vital social environment. Regular attendance helps students develop essential social skills, build lasting friendships, and learn important life lessons such as teamwork, responsibility, and communication.
Establishing Routines
Regular school attendance also helps students establish good habits and routines. It teaches them the importance of punctuality and responsibility, traits that are valuable in both their personal lives and future careers.
Regular attendance at school is not only a legal requirement but helps to ensure that students are able to make the most of their educational experience, realise their full potential and get the best possible start to their adult life. As a school we ask that students achieve at least 96% attendance. We recognise that for some this may be a challenging target, therefore we will provide additional support to students and their families to encourage excellent attendance.
Students are legally required to attend school every day and should only be absent for illnesses or medical appointments. If your child is absent from school due to illness, please report their absence to the Attendance Officer via the dedicated absence line. This will enable parents to leave a message with their child’s name, form and reason for absence with the day that they are expected to return. Absence should continue to be reported on a daily basis unless a medical note is supplied stating the period of absence which can then be approved by the school.
We ask parents to arrange routine medical and dental appointments out of school hours, where possible. If this is not possible, please inform the school in advance. Students should only be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary for the appointment. A full day’s absence will not normally be authorised for a medical appointment.
Absence for holidays during term time
Any application for leave must only be in exceptional circumstances (agreed at the discretion of the Executive Headteacher) and parents will be fined by the Local Authority for taking their child on holiday without the consent of the school. Any requests for term time holidays need to be sent to [email protected].