A first class education requires full attendance.

What constitutes good attendance?

Attendance percentages are not like examination results; an attendance percentage needs to be in the high 90s before it can be considered good. Consider the following examples:

• An attendance record of 90% might seem good but is equal to 1 day missed per fortnight. If this continues from Years 7 to 11, a total of 6 months of education will be lost
• An attendance record of 80% might seem acceptable but is equal to 1 day missed per week. If this continues from Years 7 to 11, a total of one year’s education will be lost

In order for an attendance record to be deemed good it must be 95% or above:

• 100% – excellent attendance
• 98% – very good attendance
• 95% – good attendance

Each year, a number of students in every year group achieve 100% attendance records, showing that this is an achievable target.

Consequences of low attendance

Additional support arranged through:

• • Meetings in school with teachers/school staff
  • Visits to your home by teachers/school staff
  • Referral to the Local Authority

Continued non attendance could mean:

• • • Issue of an educational penalty notice (immediate fine)
    • Instigation of court action, possibly leading to a fine of up to £2500 or even up to 3 months in prison

Our legal duties aside, the main consequence of continued non-attendance for your son could be reduced exam grades, a poorer education and limitations on job/career opportunities.
Remember – students have to attend to attain.

How can parents help?

We would like to thank the majority of parents and students who continually co-operate, helping us raise attendance levels. However, with your help, we can continue to improve our standards.

• • • Make sure your son attends school every day, unless too seriously ill to attend
    • Make all medical appointments etc outside of school hours – except in emergencies
    • Organise family holidays during school holiday periods
    • Support your son in aiming for full attendance at school
    • Contact the school on the first day and each subsequent day if your son is absent from school
    • For extended periods of absence further written confirmation may be requested
    • Ensure your son is punctual for school
    • If your son seems unwilling to attend, contact the school as soon as possible; do not let your son stay at home as this could set a precedent for the future

How do we help?

We consider good attendance to be of such importance that we place a great deal of emphasis on it, and put considerable resources into promoting it. We employ a variety of strategies:

• • Inter tutor group competitions and rewards
  • Individual rewards for students with good and excellent attendance records
  • Regular promotion of good attendance in assemblies, form time and at parents’ evenings
  • Detailed analysis of attendance figures and trends for individuals, year groups and the whole school
  • Regular reports to Governors
  • A computerised registration system which allows every lesson to be monitored
  • Attendance office staff dedicated to the administration of attendance
  • Contact with parents on the first day of absence
  • Support for students and parents where attendance difficulties are emerging
  • Attendance information sent to parents to assist them in monitoring their son’s attendance
  • Coordination of support strategies for students