Attendance
Good school attendance is essential for students to make good progress. We know from our own analysis and from national research that students with over 95% attendance achieve one grade higher on average in their GCSEs than students with attendance below 95%. The table below shows what good attendance looks like in terms of days off and lessons missed in an academic year.
Holidays in term time will not be authorised (except in exceptional circumstances) and from September 2019 will result in an automatic penalty notice. Penalty notices are £120 per child per parent.
We ask parents to arrange any medical appointments out of school hours where at all possible, but understand this isn’t always easy. Absence greater than 3 days needs to be supported by a doctor’s note.
If students are absent from school, we expect them to catch up with any missing work. Students with severe medical issues preventing them from attending school will be supported as appropriate to ensure they do not fall behind.
Rewarding attendance has been shown to have a long term negative impact, however we do recognise and celebrate excellent attendance. Students with 97% or above attendance each half-term are awarded house points and those with 100% at the end of each term receive a certificate and letter home.
Further information regarding attendance can be found on the SMART Trust website, via the following link: https://www.smart-trust.net/information/attendance