Attendance

Attendance, Absence and Punctuality

Why Attendance is Important?

• There is a link between good school attendance and high level attainment.
• Pupil learning is uninterrupted.
• Promotes pupil welfare and safeguarding.
• Enables pupils to access the widest possible range of opportunities.
• Relationships with friends and teachers are maintained and can grow.
• Lowers stress levels as students feel they can ‘keep up’ academically.
• Attendance and punctuality habits often carry into later life.
• Pupils are in a safe environment.

Regular school attendance is an important part of giving your child the best possible start in life and is important to your child’s future.

Of the 365 days in a year, 190 days are in school and 175 days are non-school days to spend with family, friends, on holiday, shopping or appointments. In an ideal world we would like to see all students in school for 190 days, realistically we expect students to be in school for at least 183 days out of the allocated 190.

What the data tells us…

There are proven links between attainment and attendance, now more than ever young people need a good academic foundation to be prepared to enter the competitive world of work;

• 3% of pupils who miss more than 50% of school manage to achieve 5 A*-C (9-4)
• 35% of pupils who miss 10%-20% of school manage to achieve 5 A*-C (9-4)
• 73% of pupils who miss 5% of school manage to achieve 5 A*-C (9-4)

What Parents/carers can do to help?

96% attendance is regarded as minimum satisfaction by the UK Government. Parents/carers are legally responsible for ensuring their child attends school on time every day.

• Find out what date each term starts and make sure your child is ready.
• Get as much prepared the evening before to save time in the morning and help have a calm start to the day.
• Check the alarm is set.
• Talk about the importance of regular attendance and how your child feels about school.
• Where possible all medical appointments should be booked after school hours, at weekends or during school holidays.  The amount of disruption to learning time should be kept to a minimum if this is not possible.
• Contact the school and speak to your child’s form tutor if you have any concerns regarding school.
• Build regular routines for bedtime and the morning.  Secondary children need between 8-11 hours of sleep each night.
• Restrict access to electronic devices 1 hour before bed.

Lateness

Pupils arriving late may seriously disrupt not only their learning but also that of others. When pupils arrive late after the close of registers and fail to provide an adequate explanation they are marked as unauthorised for that session. 

Lateness may result in:

• Pupils being embarrassed or unsettled
• Missing important information shared in tutor time
• Missing the start of learning
• Missing opportunities to socialise with their friends at the start of the school day

10 minutes late every day = 36 hours lost learning each year

Illness - Too ill to attend school?

Your child can attend school with minor ailments such as toothache, headache, stomach ache, cold, sore throat. Over the counter medicines can be given before school and paracetamol can be given in school if you have provided consent. If it would not prevent you going to work, it should not prevent your child going to school.

The school will contact you if your child becomes too ill to remain in school.

Please contact the school every day that your child is unwell.

Persistent Absence

Is your child a persistent absentee?

If your child's attendance falls below 90% they are considered to be a persistent absentee. This equates to 2 days a month, or 20 days of a school year. As a school we must report persistent absence to the Participation Team at our Local Authority, who may then decide on legal action.

Statistics prove that persistent absentees are less likely to achieve their full potential, and can effect GSCE results and future employability.

Additional information:

Department of Education - www.gov.uk

Hillingdon Borough Council - https://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/article/13380/Early-intervention-and-prevention-service

NHS - https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/sleep-tips-for-teenagers/

The Sleep Council - https://sleepcouncil.org.uk/seven-steps-to-a-better-nights-sleep/