Attendance

Good school attendance gives your child the opportunity for success and helps develop skills for life. Your child should attend school every day unless there is an unavoidable cause, such as illness.

How to report a student absence

You can report a student absence via the Studybugs App.

If there is an issue, please contact the school Attendance Officer or Head of Year to seek support and advice. Our Attendance Officer can be contacted on 0121 289 2750. Please ensure that you leave a message and be aware that you may still get a call back from our Attendance Officer who may need to ask further questions.

Request a leave of absence

You can request a leave of absence from the main reception in school.

The importance of attendance and its impact on progress and achievement

We place a high priority on good attendance and punctuality.

We believe that it promotes effective learning and has a significant impact on personal development, progress and attainment, whilst at and beyond school. Regular attendance is crucial if students are to reach their potential and be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and
achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic success.

We strive to provide a welcoming environment for all students and staff and will work with students and their families to ensure each student attends regularly and is punctual to both school and lessons.

We ask that parents inform the school either by the Studybugs app, or by phoning the attendance officer to inform us of their child’s absence on the first day by 8.00am and each subsequent day of absence and provide their child with a note explaining the absence upon their return to school if requested.

In turn, the school will inform parents of a student’s absence via text or phone as soon as possible, monitor student absence levels, levels and reward where appropriate excellent attendance.

We work closely with the Local Authority and are supported by a School Attendance Support Officer. There may be occasions where the school have to inform the Local Authority regarding a student’s absence. In this instance, parents will be kept informed where possible.

We expect a minimum of 97% attendance for all students

An attendance of 97% is expected. If attendance falls below this, it can have a significant impact on the number of lessons missed which impacts on progress and achievement. The table below outlines the impact of absence on the number of lessons missed.

Attendance during the school year 95%	Amount of days absent 9 days	Amount of weeks absent 2 weeks	Number of lessons missed 60
Attendance during the school year 90%	Amount of days absent 19 days	Amount of weeks absent 4 weeks	Number of lessons missed 120
Attendance during the school year 85%	Amount of days absent 29 days	Amount of weeks absent 6 weeks	Number of lessons missed 180
Attendance during the school year 80%	Amount of days absent 38 days	Amount of weeks absent 8 weeks	Number of lessons missed 240
Attendance during the school year 75%	Amount of days absent 48 days	Amount of weeks absent 10 weeks	Number of lessons missed 300
Attendance during the school year 70%	Amount of days absent 57 days	Amount of weeks absent 11 1/2 weeks	Number of lessons missed 345

An attendance record of 90% might seem good but is equal to one day missed per fortnight. If this continues from Years 7 to 11, a total of six month’s education will be lost.

An attendance record of 80% might seem acceptable but is equal to one day missed per week. If this continues from Years 7 to 11, a total of one year’s education will be lost.