Attendance

Parents must report any absence from school including medical appointments requiring absence, and any Covid related ill health leading to absence, to the student absence line by 9.30 am on each day of absence to 01527 892867

• Where there has been no contact from parents/carers and the child remains absent without explanation Academy staff will make contact with parents/carers to ask the reason for absence.
• In the first instance Arbor will be used to send a message via the app or text, followed by contact via phone, if no response is received.
• Medical evidence (for example, this could be medical appointment cards, prescribed medication labels) can be requested to support student absences from school.

Our Attendance Officer will follow up unexplained or concerning levels of absence as outlined in our Attendance Intervention Process.

Why is attendance important?

There is a proven link to attendance and exam success. If a student misses 17 days per year they are likely to drop one grade on every GCSE subject that they take.

• Attendance of 95% or more = 74% of students are likely to get 5 or more level 4 to 9 GCSEs.
• Attendance of 92.5 to 93.5% = 60% of students are likely to get 5 or more level 4 to 9 GCSEs.
• Attendance of 88% or lower = only 27% of students are likely to get 5 or more level 4 to 9 GCSEs.

For more detailed information regarding attendance, please refer to the School’s Attendance Policy.

At Ridgeway Secondary School we have the highest expectations for attendance. The Education Act 1996 requires regular attendance for all students on our roll. This is essential if they are to succeed and fulfil their potential.

It is the legal responsibility of parents/carers to ensure their children attend the school where they are on roll.

There is a clear link between students’ achievement and their level of attendance at school. We want all the students to achieve the very best they can and for this they need to be in school every day. Student Attendance has improved significantly over the past few years and we expect our students to attend school every day unless they are ill.

Please be aware that any absence that takes a student out of school such as medical appointments (doctors, dentist) etc do count as absence even though they may well have been authorised by the school. This will still affect a student’s overall attendance %.

The minimum target for all students is 95%, if attendance falls below this then additional support will be offered in order to support attendance. Students who achieve this attendance target will be rewarded through participation in reward trips, Epraise points and recognition in termly celebration assemblies. For those that achieve 100% attendance they will be celebrated with additional rewards.

Previous Years Whole School Attendance

The following table shows how much learning is missed over a year: