Attendance and Punctuality
Good attendance is really important to your child’s achievement, well being and wider development. Research shows that students with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A level results.
Every moment in school counts and days missed add up quickly. A pupil who has attendance below 90% (classed as persistently absent by the government standard) misses:
- 4 school weeks a year
- 28 weeks across their time in primary school and 20 weeks across their time in secondary school
- Combined, this is over a year of education
| Attendance % | Sessions Missed | Days Missed | Lost Hours of Learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 100% – 99% | 0 – 4 | 0 – 2 | 0 – 10 |
| Good | 98% – 96% | 8 – 15 | 4 – 7.5 | 20 – 37.5 |
| Requires Improvement | 95% – 91% | 19 – 34 | 9.5 – 17 | 47.5 – 85 |
| Persistently Absent | 90% – 86% | 38 – 54 | 19 – 27 | 95 – 135 |
| Critical | 85% – 50% | 57 – 190 | 28.5 – 95 | 142 – 475 |
| Severe | Below 50% |
Timings of Registration
The school day starts at 8:40 for the Junior School, with a 'soft start', and 8:50 for the Infant School and ends at 3:20 for both schools. (Infants have a 32.5 hour week and Juniors 32 hour and 55 minute week)
Pupils must arrive in school by 8:45 Junior School and 8:50 Infant School on each school day.
The register for the first session will be taken at 8:50 Juniors and 8:55 Infants and will be kept open until 8:55 Juniors and 9:00 Infants. The register for the afternoon will take place as soon as the children have returned from lunchtime.
Unplanned absence
The pupil’s parent/ carer must notify the school of the reason for the absence on the first day of an unplanned absence by 9:30am, by contacting the school via the attendance line on 01275 843969.
Lateness and punctuality
Punctuality is an important skill for life and we want our young people to build good habits as they move into adulthood. Being punctual demonstrates a respect for others in the class as well as for the staff and can also help make a positive start to the school day. A pupil who is persistently late can miss crucial messages, opportunities to socialise with other pupils as well as key learning that happens at the beginning of the school day.
| Minutes late | Equates to days lost across a year |
| 5 minutes | 3 days |
| 10 minutes | 6 days |
| 15 minutes | 9 days |
Attendance Support
Please note that Rachel Hayward (Attendance Champion and Infant Assistant HT) and our Learning Mentors are happy to provide attendance support for families.
Please read our Attendance Policy below for more details and also note the documents on penalty notices for non-attendance.