Attendance Matters
Dear Parents/Carers,
Ensuring your child has an excellent, all round education, is our number one priority.
A key part of this is for our pupils to attend school regularly with strong and consistent routines, as this gives everyone the best chance of success. It is clear that excellent school attendance is directly linked to academic success.
Within this letter, I want to highlight the impact of regular absence from school and how this can affect your child’s progress, wellbeing and even their mental health.
As parents of Co-op Academy Walkden pupils, you are also part of a supportive and ambitious community where we all strive for the very best for our pupils. We are committed to providing a broad and ambitious education and caring support to overcome barriers.
Looking at single percentages without explanation can be deceiving, so it is important to understand what this percentage actually means in practice.
|
100% |
190 days in school |
0 days absent |
Best chance of success |
|
95% (national target) |
180 days in school |
10 days absent |
|
|
90% |
171 days in school |
19 days absent |
Poor attendance and less chance of success |
|
85% |
161 days in school |
29 days absent |
|
|
80% |
152 days in school |
38 days absent |
Very poor attendance and serious neglect of education resulting in significantly reduced life chances |
|
75% |
143 days in school |
47 days absent |
DfE (Department for Education) research shows that, the more children attend school, the more they achieve and the better their chances are of personal and academic success. Our school and Local Authority data shows the same. In our Academy, the single most common reason for children not achieving as well as they could is because they are not in school as much as they should be.
As you will be aware, Co-op Academy Walkden is an Ofsted ‘Good’ provider and we are determined to be judged ‘Outstanding’. We need your child to be part of this by having the best possible attendance.
Attendance Team
Of course, there are times where children are genuinely too unwell to attend school or there are exceptional circumstances that prevent full attendance. From September, there will be some changes to the Attendance team. Therefore, it is vital, as parents, you are aware of the roles within the team and who you are able to contact should you have any questions or concerns and, most importantly, who to contact when you are in need of support regarding your child’s attendance.
- Mrs E Faulkner- Attendance Manager
- Mr T McAndrew- Attendance Officer
- Mrs J Lynch- Attendance Assistant
- Mrs L Corry- Family Support worker
- Ms C Whittington- School Coordinator and Family help practitioner (Local authority)
- Ms L Adamson- School Coordinator and Family help practitioner (Local authority)
September is a new school year and a fresh start for everyone. I am really looking forward to celebrating the successes the new academic year brings. Please do not hesitate to make contact if you have any queries regarding your child’s attendance.