Attendance Statement and policy

Redhill School strives to create an environment in which all pupils may achieve their full potential and feel happy and secure. Outstanding attendance and punctuality are vital factors in all pupils being successful at school which increases the chances of a successful future and adult life. Irregular attendance leads to educational disadvantage. It places children at risk and may lead to pupils being drawn into anti-social or criminal behaviour. Punctuality is also vital, arriving late at school is very disruptive for the pupil, the teacher and other pupils. Attendance and punctuality are a shared responsibility and partnership between home, school, and the Educational Support Service (ESS). An effective and efficient system of communication with pupils, staff, parents and appropriate agencies is therefore essential.

Attendance Policy

Persistent Absence (PA) in schools

Many pupils have an attendance rate of around 90%. Most parents and pupils think that this is pretty good.

What does an attendance rate of 90% look like?

If you have a 90% attendance record, it means that you are absent from lessons for the equivalent of one half-day every week.

A 90% attendance rate means that you have missed the equivalent of four whole weeks of lessons in the school year.

If your attendance rate is at 90% throughout KS3 and KS4 (5 years) you have missed the equivalent of about one half of a school year.

The impact on attendance on you and your learning

Attendance is incredibly important to your progress and attainment at Redhill School and we challenge all of our pupils to strive to achieve the 96% attendance benchmark that we set for all pupils.

There has been lots of research that proves a direct link between attendance and your likely success in your studies. These studies show that your attendance is likely to affect your GCSE outcomes in the following way:

· 96% Attendance = Very good chance of achieving the government benchmark % of GCSE Grades at 9 – 5

· 93% Attendance = Good chance of achieving the government benchmark % of GCSE Grades at 9 - 5

· 92% Attendance = Fair chance of achieving the government benchmark % of GCSE Grades at 9 - 5

· 90% Attendance = Less than 50% chance of achieving the government benchmark % of GCSE Grades at 9 - 5

· 88% Attendance = Less than 35% chance of achieving the government benchmark % of GCSE Grades at 9 - 5

· Under 88% Attendance = Less than 30% chance of achieving the government benchmark % of GCSE Grades at 9 – 5

*Under new GCSE grading system grades 9 – 5 are considered strong passes by further education providers and employers.

As you can see, the better your attendance at Redhill School, the higher your chance of success at GCSE. The same is also true of other qualifications, such as BTECs, A-Levels, degrees or other qualifications.

Attendance could be considered in the same way as examination results. A result of 80% in an exam might seem like a good result. However, in terms of attendance, 80% would mean you have missed approximately 40 days of education in a single academic year, which is around one day per week. Therefore, if your attendance is 80% from Year 7 to Year 11, you will have missed over one full year of education!

How can pupils and parents work with Redhill School to ensure better attendance and outcomes for all?

· Ensure that pupils attend every day so that they can engage fully with their learning

· Remember that any day missed is learning time missed – this will place pupils at a disadvantage to their peers

· Encourage punctuality so that no learning time is missed

· Communicate with school if there is a serious and genuine reason why pupils must miss school

· Work with school to discuss ways to support pupils in catching up on any missed learning opportunities

The impact of lateness on learning

Do you think that lateness to lessons doesn’t matter? Think again…

Lateness = Lost Learning Time!

5 minutes late each day = 3 days lost across an academic year

10 minutes late each day = 6.5 days lost across an academic year

15 minutes late each day = 13 days lost across an academic year

20 minutes late each day = 15 days lost across an academic year

30 minutes late each day = 19 days lost across an academic year

*Each of these days lost equals 5 hours of missed learning time

Danger Zone: As few as 17 missed days over the school year reduces your chances of success. Your GCSE results could drop by one grade across all subjects!

Think about how this could affect your future options and choices.

Pupils returning to School after an accident, surgery or serious illness

Please view the document linked below for more information.