Attendance Update: Term 3
Attendance has always been a legal requirement for all students, at FHS we have high expectations for our students because we know that when they are in school, learning, they are thriving, and this enables students to leave with the best possible outcomes.
The Government states that good attendance is 95% and upwards to 100%, because this means students are a part of a routine, they are surrounded by opportunities and learning both academically and socially.
Nonetheless, the covid pandemic drastically impacted our students at FHS and broadly nationally and globally, so a period of recovery and understanding was required both for the health, safety, and well-being of everyone.
Governments deem schools as safe spaces; we have maintained several measures to ensure students (and staff) are able to thrive in Fairfield. So, it is essential that students are in school, on time, in lessons, participating in a vast array of extra-curricular activities and interventions so that they can continue their educational journey.
Students are aware that if they are late twice or more in a week, then a letter will be sent home, this is to alert home. If students continue to be late, they will be placed on a punctuality report, this will be monitored for two weeks, with the hope that they improve their punctuality. If punctuality does not improve, then home will be invited in for a meeting and the student will be sanctioned for their continued lateness.
Attendance is also about preparing students for their future next steps, it is important that they build resilience, they can maintain good levels for attendance and do not miss quality learning: https://fairfield.excalibur.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Attendance-Leaflet.pdf
If students are struggling with their mental well-being, attending school, accessing pastoral and external agency support will development their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. As a school we want to provide all levels of support and that can only happen if the student is in school.
It may also be interesting to read the following article: https://schoolsweek.co.uk/covid-used-as-an-excuse-by-poor-attenders-warns-ofsted/