At Beechen Cliff School, we believe that every single school day makes a difference.  From the first day of term to the last, the small moments make a real difference to the development of your child.

Your child’s attendance is extremely important, and we all have a part to play in improving it. To help tackle this challenge the Government has launched a national campaign, aimed at making sure parents and carers know how important school attendance is.

“As Children’s Commissioner, I have made school attendance one of my top priorities because children tell me how much they value their education and want to be in school. Every day counts: when children miss school, it’s not just about missing lessons, it’s also about losing valuable moments spent with their friends and teachers.”

Rachel De Souza, Children’s Commissioner

100% is the target for every student!

Our vision for attendance:

At Beechen Cliff, we aim to ensure both students and parents / carers have the tools, resources and support they need to help improve attendance for all. Our goal is to work collaboratively in partnership with parents and pupils to ensure everyone understands the role attendance has in enhancing their child’s overall wellbeing. This fits within our overarching school vision to enable all pupils to achieve their aspirations and to live fulfilled lives.

Our ultimate goal is to help all of our students to achieve 100% attendance.

Why good attendance is so important?

There is national evidence that shows the direct link between good attendance and achievement in schools. When we talk about good attendance, it is important to note that this is considered to be above 97%.

The government considers students whose attendance drops below 90% to be ‘persistently absent’ from school.

90% attendance in means….

  • The equivalent of half a day of school is missed every week! An employer would not think that this is an acceptable rate of attendance.
  • Over an academic year, 4 weeks of schooling (100 lessons) missed.
  • Over 5 years at Beechen Cliff, half a year of school (500 lessons) missed.

Recent national statistics show that persistent absenteeism is linked to dramatically reduced outcomes and qualifications. 36% of persistently absent children at KS4 got Grades 9-4 in their English and Maths GCSEs, compared with 84% of regular attenders.   Although good attendance is important in all years, it is never too late to improve attendance.  We know that students who attend well at Beechen Cliff leave the school with excellent outcomes they are rightly proud of.

It is important to also recognise that good attendance isn’t only about grades, it’s about every moment in a school day; developing social skills, finding a sense of belonging and making the most of the vast array of  opportunities and extracurricular activities on offer. All of these can improve the overall wellbeing of your child.  Multiple studies have shown that regular school attendance can facilitate positive peer relationships, which is a protective factor for long-term mental health and wellbeing.

What can parents or carers do to secure good attendance?

  • Reinforce the importance of attending school every day, reiterating the long term impact of low attendance and the importance of building good habits for the future.
  • Ensure your child has an established bedtime routine, which ensures a  good night’s sleep – this may involve  handing over their mobile phone at a set time!
  • Make sure your child sets an alarm to wake them up with enough time to prepare for the day and be on time to Beechen Cliff.
  • If you bring your child to school by car, remember that traffic around the town can be changeable (particularly on wet days) and factor this into the time you leave.
  • Encourage your child to come to school if they have a minor ailment, just like you would still go to your work. If you are unsure, please send them to school – we will contact you if they are too unwell to stay.
  • Arrange any appointments your child may have outside of school hours.
  • Discuss any issues your child may have that might be affecting their attendance and share this information with your child’s Head of Year or the Deputy Headteacher (Pastoral), who will be happy to support.

What does Beechen Cliff do to encourage good attendance for all and help improve attendance where it is lower than possible?

  • Provide weekly feedback to all students on their current attendance.
  • Celebrate those students who have 98% or above attendance with termly reward postcards.
  • Contact home to check on the wellbeing of absent pupils.
  • Provide opportunities for pupils to discuss any attendance-related issues with their tutor at an early stage.
  • Provide a nurturing space for students to get help in overcoming any barriers they have to attending school.
  • Set out a robust set of attendance procedures to ensure all absences and requests for absence are dealt with fairly and consistently.
  • Work together with our Education Welfare Officers and the local authority’s Attendance and Welfare Support Service to ensure all pupils get the education they are entitled to.

 

For more detail on the MNSP Attendance Campaign and Beechen Cliff’s approach to attendance please use the following link.