Why good attendance is so important

For any child to reach their full educational achievement a high level of school attendance is essential. We are committed to providing an education of the highest quality for all our students and endeavour to provide an environment where all students feel valued and welcome. Our students have access to the very best education when they are in school and in their lessons learning.

Every child has a right to access the education to which they are entitled, and our parents are responsible for ensuring that their child receives full-time education and attends school.

Along with parents and carers, teachers share the responsibility for supporting and promoting excellent school attendance and punctuality for all. It is our duty to consistently strive to achieve a goal of 100% attendance for all children. Every opportunity will be used to convey to students and their parents/carers the importance of regular and punctual attendance. For children to take full advantage of the educational opportunities offered it is vital a child is at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.

The routines that children develop around attendance and punctuality at school are the same as the expectations of any future employer in the world of work. High attainment, confidence with peers and staff, and future aspirations depend on good attendance.

Good attendance is important because:

• Statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and absence below 95%
• Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically
• Regular attenders find school routines, school work and friendships easier to cope with
• Regular attenders find learning more satisfying
• Regular attenders are more successful in transferring between primary school, secondary school, and higher education, employment or training.