Attendance and Punctuality

The importance of excellent attendance

We want the absolute best for all our students and aim to create a welcoming and inclusive academy that encourages students to attend every day. We expect that every student should aim for 100% attendance and achieves no less than 95%. Our experience shows that with support from their family this level of attendance is achievable for the vast majority of pupils.

Our attendance is well above the national average

For the Academic year 2022-23, our overall attendance was 94.14%.

The national average for state-funded secondary schools in the UK was 90.7%.

Although it is slightly lower than our target, we are still incredibly proud of this achievement, as a result of the hard work, commitment and collaboration between students, families and academy staff.

Source: Pupil attendance in schools, Week 29 2023 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)

Why is good attendance important?

Through regular attendance your child can:

  • Build and maintain friendships
  • Progress with their learning
  • Participate in social activities
  • Develop life skills, increase their confidence, and boost their self-esteem
 

Where there are exceptional circumstances that may affect attendance, for example, long term illness supported by medical evidence, school will set bespoke targets and work with parents to maximise attendance. We do this by recognising the unique challenges an individual student may face.

We have a large network of support services we can signpost families to, so that the right support can be provided at the right time.

Working together, we can give your child the very best chance of reaching their academic and social potential.

Frequently asked questions

When a pupil is absent from school the absence will be recorded as either ‘authorised’ or ‘unauthorised’.

Only school can decide which absences are authorised and this is based upon the information you provide.

Authorised absences are granted only for valid reasons such as:

  • Illness which is severe enough to warrant time away from school
  • Medical or dental appointments that cannot be made outside of school hours
  • Religious observance
  • Family bereavement for a close relative

 

If the absence is recorded as authorised no further action will be taken against you, however we may still contact you to discuss ongoing causes of absence to see how we can support your child’s learning.