Attendance and Punctuality Expectations

Our school: 

• Has a clear school attendance policy on the school website which all staff, pupils and parents understand.   

• Develops and maintains a whole school culture that promotes the benefits of good attendance and punctuality. 

• Accurately completes admission and attendance registers.    

• Has robust daily processes to follow up absence.   

• Has a dedicated member of the senior leadership team with overall responsibility for championing and improving attendance. 

All parents and guardians are expected to: 

• Ensure their child attends every day the school is open on time except when a statutory reason applies. 

• Notify the school as soon as possible when their child has to be unexpectedly absent (e.g. illness).

• Only request leave of absence in exceptional circumstances and do so in advance.  

• Book any medical appointments outside of the school day where possible.

• NHS Guidance on pupil illness: Is my child too ill for school? - NHS 

 

All pupils are expected: 

• To come to school every day and aim to have 100% attendance. 

• 100% attendance is essential to guarantee the highest possible achievement and gain the most from the school’s personal development opportunities. 

• It is really important that students come to school on time every day.

 

Why does attendance matter? 

There is a direct link between positive attendance and exam success.

The higher the number of school days missed, the lower the level of attainment. Using national statistics, where pupils had 100% attendance at school, 83.7% achieved grades 9 to 4 in English and Maths, compared to only 35.6% achievement of grades 9 to 4 for pupils who had an attendance of 90% or below.