Attendance Update – Term 4

The focus moving forward is punctuality both to school and to lessons. We recognise the importance of students having a positive start to their educational day and that starts with tutor time (8:40-9:10am). It is an opportunity for students in both Key Stage 3 and 4 to engage with a range of activities such as, the tutor reading program and topical discussions in Years 7-9, or preparation for Work Experience, CVs and GCSE revision in Years 10 and 11. There are a range of notices given out in the morning to enable students to participate in extracurricular activities during the school day, as well as after school. Being on time for school is an attribute we want to instill in our students because when the move onto their educational setting or prepare for working life whether with a business or starting their own business, time keeping, and organisational skills are essential skills.  

Punctuality to lessons is of the utmost importance, as it demonstrates that students are prepared for their learning and lessens disruption to the flow of learning. Students must maneuver around the building productively to ensure that they are in the right place at the right time. 

The focus on punctuality is not new, these are expectations that we have always had, they are simply reinforcing expectations, to ensure that we maintain the high standards that we have for our school community. 

Of course, we recognise that there may be moments when a student is late, so we ask that families/guardians support us, provide a note, use Parent Mail to keep lines of communication open. We also remind students and staff of the same in terms of students being out of lessons – we aim to avoid at all costs, however, that is not always possible, but it must be communicated with the wider school team on a need-to-know basis. 

As a school we have managed to maintain excellent attendance throughout a very difficult two years, so we are gratful to our whole school comminity and the families/guardians that continue to work so closely with us.