Attendance
Good attendance is perhaps the single most important factor in determining whether a student makes progress commensurate with their ability. A single day’s absence means at least two days’ loss of progress.
We advise all parents that students should attend school every day unless there is a genuine reason for absence i.e. too poorly to attend school, an essential medical appointment or due to unforeseen circumstances.
Parents, by law, are responsible for ensuring that:
- Their children receive full time education
- Their children regularly attend education
All schools within WPT work with our families to promote good attendance and support our parents to ensure all students are in school, learning, as often as possible. It is our ambition for all schools across WPT to significantly exceed local authority and national average regarding attendance and persistent absenteeism.
At WPT we see attendance as an intrinsic factor in determining how successful a student is.
Good attendance ultimately empowers students to leave our family of schools ready, able and qualified to play their part in an ever changing world. Given the significance of attendance in schools we have adopted our own framework that sets out the minimum expectation for all schools, known as our ‘Gold Standard.’ This also provides strategic leads with the opportunity to quality assure our schools against this framework in order to share good practice and support where needed.
The Gold Standard has two categories in line with the Ofsted framework:
- Behaviour and Attitudes
- Leadership and Management
Attendance Gold Standard
Behaviour and Attitudes Gold Standard
- School leaders have a strong focus on attendance and punctuality to minimise disruption to learning
- School leaders implement clear and effective attendance policies with clearly defined
- Consequences for low attendance
- Whole school attendance is, at least in line with national average, and persistent absenteeism is below national average
- School leaders strive for whole school attendance to be at least 95% 96% primary
- School leaders strive for persistent absenteeism to be below 10% 8% in primary
- Attendance of pupils with particular needs is above national average and shows demonstrable improvement over time
- All pockets of low attendance for particular groups of students can be justified and there is a clear strategy for improvement
- Students come to school on time and are punctual to lesson; where they are not school leaders take appropriate, swift and effective action
- Off site, alternative provision has a positive impact on the attendance of particular students
- School leaders celebrate high levels of student attendance and punctuality
- The importance of attendance is understood by all stakeholders and is triangulated between student, parent and school
Leadership and Management Gold Standard
- School leaders instil a culture of high expectations regarding attendance and punctuality that is visible throughout school
- Schools leaders ensure that attendance is everybody’s responsibility
- School leaders work strategically with external stakeholders and agencies to engage families and improve whole school attendance
- School leaders ensure that attendance codes are used consistently throughout school without exception
- School leaders have a non-negotiable approach to registration protocols and as a result they are taken consistently at the same time
- School leaders ensure that registers close a 9.20 am without exception
- School leaders have a rigorous approach to part time timetables and off-site provision and are knowledgeable about the impact they have on school attendance
- School leaders analyse data forensically to intervene with low attendance which shows demonstrable impact
- School leaders have clear understanding and action plans are in place where there is a link between low attendance and safeguarding
Attendance Teams
WPT has devised a benchmark for the number of attendance staff each school has. This varies depending on the number of students on roll. Roles that have direct responsibility for attendance in our schools may include:
- Senior Leader with designated responsibility and strategic oversight of whole school attendance including persistent absenteeism
- Head of Year with responsibility for attendance
- Attendance Manager / Officer with responsibility for leading on the administration of attendance procedures in school. Their sole responsibility is to improve whole school attendance and reduce persistent absenteeism.
- Education Welfare Officer (EWO) with responsibility for tracking, monitoring and intervention for students who are persistently absent from school
Along with the above roles, it is also the responsibility of class teachers, form tutors, and the pastoral, SEND, safeguarding and teaching assistant teams to contribute and lead on ensuring that students attend school every day.
Consequences for Students with Poor Attendance / Punctuality
Students with poor attendance, and/or poor levels of punctuality, will not be eligible for the same level of reward and recognition as those whose attendance and punctuality are in line with school expectation.
Students with poor attendance and/or punctuality may not be allowed to:
- Represent the school in any sporting events
- Participate in school productions
- Attend any school visits or trips that are not a compulsory part of the school curriculum
- Participate in student leadership opportunities
- Be eligible for any student privilege clubs
- Attend the Year 11 Prom
Students with poor attendance and/or punctuality should expect:
- Regular communication with parents regarding their attendance
- Be placed on the WPT Absence Monitoring and Intervention Pathway
- Removal of privileges such as break and lunch times
- Bespoke interventions to support in raising attendance in line with WPT Waves of
- Intervention
- Be subject to an attendance support plan
- Be subject to the WPT Graduated Response for Attendance
- Be subject to an Attendance Panel with the Chair of Governors
- Be subject to prosecution through the FPN process
Reward and Recognition
Annual Rewards
- Award Assemblies – 100% attendance award and most improved attendance award
- Year Group Incentive League – leading to annual reward trip or event
- GCSE/A Level Presentation Evening – 100% during Year 11 and more than 1 year trophy /voucher
- Year 11/13 passport to prom incentive
Termly/Half Termly – The 100 Club
The 100 Club gives students access to half termly rewards through their privilege cards. The 100 Club:
- Runs throughout the year with pit stops (monthly, half termly, termly etc). Individual reward for 100% attendance
- Exclusive member of the club. Wristband /badge /credit card to show part of the ‘club’
- Rewards those who attend 100%. Also awards those that who have shown improvement in their attendance
- Big event per half term, termly and yearly – unexpected /themed awards (e.g. selection box, candy floss, donut etc). Different rewards dependent upon level in club
Ongoing Reward and Recognition
As well as the above, we utilise a whole host of additional reward and recognition to praise and encourage good attendance and punctuation. Initiatives include certificates, letters, emails and phone calls home, social media recognition, and praise in Form Tutor Time.
