The Warbler Issue 2 - May 2017

Attendance
This year at The Wilnecote School we are having a particular focus on achieving high levels of attendance. Over the last few
years, our annual attendance rate has been just over 94%, which is roughly in line with the national average. Of course, our
goal now is to be above the national average and our long term target is to reach 96%.
Excellent attendance is crucial to a child's overall education. It is impossible for us to provide our students with the highest
quality of education if they are not attending consistently and accessing the many educational opportunities and
experiences available to them. Educational research has evidenced that regular absence from school can result on
significantly reduced attainment in GCSE examinations. Clearly it is vital that we do everything in our power to ensure that
all of our students have the very best chances to achieve academically and a focus on attendance is just one of the ways in
which we do this.
Our Attendance Policy, available to download from our website, outlines the procedures we follow to monitor attendance
and the strategies we put in place to address attendance concerns. As many of you will be aware we always aim to send an
automated text message home by mid-morning to inform you if your child has not been registered within the first half hour
of the day. The message requests that parents make urgent contact with the school to inform us of the reason for absence
and this helps us to ensure students who are absent are safeguarded. Additionally, it enables us to monitor absences, as well
as ensuring we meet the legal requirement of recording all reasons for absence on the official register.
In order to maintain our focus on high attendance we make contact with parents if their child's attendance falls below 95%,
highlighting any potential concerns and offering support if required. If that student's attendance continues to decline and
there are no apparent mitigating circumstances for that decline, the school may choose to set an internal target for
improvement, which again will include support from the school to help students to succeed. Unfortunately, for a small
number of students, this approach may not prove effective and at this point the school may have no option but to engage
the Local Authority's Local Support Team, who will work with the school and families to help overcome barriers to
attendance. In extreme cases the Local Authority will set a legal target, the failure of which could result in prosecution.
The subject of holidays in term time has also received much publicity in the media this year, as you will no doubt know. Please
be aware that in line with government expectations and Local Authority guidance, it is our policy not to authorise holidays
in term time. Leave of absence request forms, however, are available for exceptional circumstances, such as funerals and
should be completed prior to the intended absence. Again, please be aware that a leave of absence request for a holiday is
highly likely to be refused, due to our strong belief that full attendance during term time is in the best interests of all our
students.
While we do place a high emphasis on attendance, we recognise that there are occasions when it can prove difficult for
students to attend, either through ongoing illness or through emotional difficulties that may emerge. In these
circumstances, we are here to help and are keen to work alongside parents to address any problems which may be affecting
their child's overall school experience. Our full time attendance clerk, Ms Hepburn, along with other members of our
pastoral team, are available to meet with students to help address any problems that may be affecting their attendance,
ideally nipping problems in the bud before they get too big. Our pastoral team are also proactive and happy to meet with
parents to support them in ensuring their children have the best opportunities to access their education. These members of
staff are easily contactable by calling the school.
Thankfully, the vast majority of students tell us that they enjoy school and are keen to get the most out of their education.
Regular assemblies highlight the latest House attendance data and good attendance and punctuality are recognised weekly
with students receiving Vivos, through our school rewards scheme. Annually, 100% attendance is recognised through
certificates and prizes and on a weekly basis we encourage our students to engage in healthy competition, helping their
House to achieve the highest percentage attendance.
We are all too aware that none of the above would prove successful without the support of our parents and we continue to
be grateful for the parental support we receive in ensuring high attendance remains a key feature of each student's
academic experience at The Wilnecote School.
Miss J Howell
Deputy Headteacher