Attendance
This is a successful school, and you and your child play a part in making it so. We aim to encourage all our students to always give and expect the best. For children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend school regularly.
Some children are reluctant to go to school and say they do not feel well. It is for you as the parent/carer to judge whether they are genuinely unwell, or just unwilling. It will be better for them in the long run to go to school, rather than avoid it, as days off mean they will fall further behind with their school work and make them even more reluctant.
Ensuring your child’s regular attendance at school is YOUR legal responsibility and permitting absence without good reason is an offence in law and may result in legal action being taken, or a Penalty Notice being issued.
Understanding absence percentages
You may wonder why a school would be concerned if your child’s attendance is 95%. This may make it easier to understand:
- 95% equates to half a day off every two weeks
90% equates to a day off every two weeks
85% equates to one and a half days off every two weeks
80% equates to one whole day off every week
A secondary age child whose attendance is 90% will have missed ALMOST A TERM of education by the time they leave school
A secondary age child whose attendance is 80% will have missed ONE WHOLE YEAR of education by the time they leave school
IRREGULAR ATTENDANCE IS A MAJOR BLOCK TO ACHIEVEMENT IN CLASS AND NATIONAL ANALYSIS OF ATTENDANCE SHOWS A CLEAR LINK BETWEEN ATTENDANCE FALLING BELOW 95% AND UNDERACHIEVEMENT
THE FURTHER THEIR ATTENDANCE FALLS BELOW 95% THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO UNDERACHIEVE
Even the brightest and most enthusiastic learner will find it hard to keep up with their work with these levels of absence. That is why we encourage the highest attendance possible from all of our pupils.
Reluctant attenders
You should do everything possible to encourage your child to attend. However if the reason for their reluctance appears to be school-based, such as difficulty with work, or bullying, please discuss this with the school at the earliest opportunity and the school will do everything possible to sort the problem out. Colluding with your child’s reluctance to attend is likely to make the matter worse.
The Government has issued new guidelines for school attendance
From September 2015, attendance less than 90% will be classed as ‘persistent absence’ which can lead to Fixed Penalty
Notice fines. Please let us all work together to ensure your child’s attendance is at the required minimum level of 95% or above (10 days absence per academic year equates to 94.7% attendance). Good attendance ensures pupils reach their full potential, both academically and socially, leading to positive life chances in the future. Staff at Barking Abbey School should be contacted if there are any barriers to good attendance so that we can provide positive support.
