Our Attendance Focus

At Cotmanhay Junior School, we believe that every child gets one chance to get the best education. If they are not in school, they are not learning. Every day counts. Excellent and regular attendance is essential in order for a child’s education to be successful. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that their child attends school. We thank those parents that ensure that attendance is above 95%. Absence from school should only occur in the extreme of circumstances and holidays taken in term time will not be authorised.

 We believe that improving attendance is everyone’s business. We also understand that the barriers to accessing education are wide and complex, both within and beyond the school gates, and are often specific to individual pupils and families.

The foundation of securing good attendance is that school is a calm, orderly, safe, and supportive environment where all pupils want to be and are keen and ready to learn. It is the expectation of everyone within the wider school community to support pupils to be:

• In school every day
• On time
• Ready to learn

We will achieve this by:

• Promoting good attendance
• Reducing absence, including persistent and severe absence
• Ensuring every pupil has access to the full-time education to which they are entitled
• Acting early to address patterns of absence
• Building strong relationships with families to ensure pupils have the support in place to attend school

Why is regular attendance so important?

Learning

Attendance below 95% can adversely affect the academic progress of your child and limit their social development as they have reduced access to activities that promote this. There is a direct correlation between excellent attendance and pupil outcomes. Evidence shows that those pupils with attendance above 95% make significantly positive progress. Whereas those below 95% do not make as much progress as those with similar abilities across the country. 90% of children with absence rates below 85% fail to achieve the expected educational standards at the end of Key Stage 2.

In addition, if your child is frequently absent he/she will not be able to take full advantage of the many activities and opportunities that are on offer at Cotmanhay Junior School to help them grow into well-rounded young people.

Safeguarding

Your child may be at risk of harm if he/she does not attend school regularly. Frequent absence or truancy may expose your child to health and safety risks, which may have serious consequences for his/her behaviour and welfare.