Attendance target 95.5%
We encourage and reward good attendance. Every student’s good attendance is vital as it has a clear link with progress, attainment and more positive life changes. Students must come to school every day they are not ill.
We work closely with the Local Authority and the Officer for Behaviour and Attendance to deal with truancy, term time holidays and casual absenteeism.
Students who attend less than 90% (the equivalent of one day off school per fortnight) are classed as Persistent Absentees. It has been shown statistically that students with only 90% attendance may achieve at least one grade below expectation in all their GCSE subjects.
Over a period of five school years, a student with only 90% attendance will have missed nearly two thirds of a whole year of his/her schooling. Similarly, students with poor punctuality miss valuable lesson time and, if it happens regularly, progress will be jeopardised. Lateness to school will be sanctioned.
If you know your child will not be able to attend school, you must ring the school on the day of absence, for safeguarding reasons.
The best way to achieve good attendance and punctuality is to keep the routine going: coming to school on time every single day.
|
Attendance % |
Absence per week/fortnight |
Absence per year |
Absence over 5 year period |
| 95% | Half day | 2 weeks | Quarter of a year |
| 90% | Half day weekly | 4 weeks | Half a year |
| 85% | One and half days fortnightly | 6 weeks | Three quarters of year |
| 80% | One day weekly | 8 weeks | One year |
| 75% | Two and half days fortnightly | 10 weeks | One and quarter years |
| 70% | One and half days weekly | 12 weeks | One and half years |
| 65% | Three and half days fortnightly | 14 weeks | One and three quarter years |
| 60% | Two days weekly | 16 weeks | Two years |
| 55% | Four and half days fortnightly | 18 weeks | Two and a quarter years |
| 50% | Two and half days weekly | 20 weeks | Two and half years |
The table below highlights how important punctuality is.
|
Daily lateness |
Equates to... |
| 5 minutes late | 3 days lost per school year |
| 10 minutes late | 6.5 days lost per school year |
| 15 minutes late | 10 days lost per school year |
| 20 minutes late | 13 days lost per school year |
| 30 minutes late | 19 days lost per school year |
Research shows that if a student misses 17 days in a school year, he/she falls one whole grade below expected results in their GCSE examinations across ALL subjects.
Attendance affects attainment: fact
Having analysed GCSE results and attendance, the facts are:
|
Percentage attendance within a year |
How students performed |
| 0-50% | 9 grades are below targets |
| 60-70% | 8 grades are below targets |
| 70-80% | 6 grades are below targets |
| 80-85% | 4 grades are below targets |
| 85-92% | 3 grades are below targets |
| Over 96% | 2 grades are above predicted targets |
