At Wildern it is our belief that students with a high level of school attendance are more likely to enjoy learning, achieve better examination results and are less likely to miss out on the myriad of opportunities afforded to them.
Students with good school attendance are more likely to benefit from education, achieve better examination results and go on to have more successful careers. Similarly, irregular or poor attendance at school can lead to students underachieving and underperforming in examinations and, therefore, will have a detrimental effect upon their careers.
Absence from school can be disruptive not only for the individual student but also for the student's whole class. Absences should be kept to a minimum.
The School does not support taking a holiday in term time. Parents are strongly requested to avoid taking holidays in term time. If this is absolutely unavoidable, a ‘Request to authorise absence from school due to exceptional circumstances’ form must be completed. The completed form should be received at least a week before the period for which you are seeking authorisation. The completed form setting out your reasons must be returned to Reception.
Below is an illustration of how absence adversely affects learning:
Attendance during one school year |
Equates to days absent |
Which is approximately |
Which means the number of lessons missed |
94% |
10 days |
2 weeks |
50 lessons |
90% |
19 days |
4 weeks |
100 lessons |
85% |
29 days |
6 weeks |
150 lessons |
80% |
38 days |
8 weeks |
200 lessons |
75% |
48 days |
10 weeks |
250 lessons |
70% |
57 days |
11.5 weeks |
285 lessons |
65% |
67 days |
13.5 weeks |
335 lessons |
All students should be reported ill by their parents on the first day of absence followed by a written explanation on their return that is given to their tutor. Parents must call in EVERYDAY that their child is absent.
In the event of problems relating to attendance, our Family Support Worker will begin to work with both student and parent(s) to formalise an appropriate action plan. The Family Support Worker will also meet with members of the pastoral team on a fortnightly basis to monitor all students’ punctuality and attendance.
When a student’s attendance falls below 95% the following actions will ensue:
At every stage it is imperative that Parent/Guardians ensure that there are good lines of communication with the school. The School will endeavour to support, advise and provide strategies for Parent/Guardians who are willing to engage.