ATTENDANCE STATEMENT AND POLICY

Being in school is important to your child’s achievement, wellbeing, and wider development. Evidence shows that the students with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A Level results.

Government research found that students who performed better both at the end of primary and secondary school missed fewer days than those who didn’t perform as well.

Punctuality is also vital – arriving late at school is very disruptive for the student, the teacher and other students.

Attendance and punctuality are a shared responsibility, as outlined in the School’s Home School Agreement (HSA).

PERSISTENT ABSENCE (PA) IN SCHOOLS

Many students 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.

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

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 the 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 Trinity High 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.

HOW CAN PUPILS AND PARENTS WORK WITH TRINITY HIGH SCHOOL TO ENSURE BETTER ATTENDANCE AND OUTCOMES FOR ALL?

• Ensure that students 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 students 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

We will complete a risk assessment to ensure that students returning to school after an accident, surgery or serious illness receive the best possible care. We have a children with medical needs who cannot attend school policy, a Health and Safety Policy a First Aid Management policy for this purpose.

If your child is returning to school after an accident, surgery or serious illness, please contact your child’s Head of Year in the first instance and we will arrange a risk assessment meeting with Mrs Moakes (Lead First Aider) and other relevant staff.

Returning to School Information and Guidance for Parents/Carers