Attendance - Everyday Matters

Recently the government released their 'Attendance and Engagement Strategy' to tackle the decline in regular attendance and engagement in schools. Their catchphrase is 'Everday Matters'.

Attendance is the first step in accessing learning and is essential for educational success, achieving qualifications and attaining wider social and economic outcomes. There is a well-established relationship between attendance and achievement. Research indicates each day of absence from school predicts a similar drop in attainment, however, it also tells us that it is never too late to turn attendance around. 

Students who have on average 1 day off per week, equates to 40 days per year, which is 20% of educational opportunities each year, over time this is extremely concerning.  This would mean over their 8 years of school they have missed out on just over 6 terms of schooling.  

As a school, we understand that these last few years have been extreme regarding illness, sickness and isolating, but we do believe we have turned a corner.  The season is changing and overall our school attendance is increasing.  Let's hope this continues. If you have any concerns about your child and their attendance please contact your classroom teacher in the first instance.