Why is Attendance so Important?
Why is attendance so important?
- Attendance is linked to safeguarding & child protection
Evidence shows that if a child does not attend regularly:
- They cannot keep up with their class work.
- They do not achieve the results
- They miss out on the social side of school and can have problems maintaining friendships.
We rely heavily on parents to work in partnership with us to support pupils in attending school and hope that the information provided will support you with any issues which may affect your child’s attendance and punctuality.
It is important that we help the children develop their own positive experiences of school to ensure they achieve their full potential.
SMFR Target Attendance
St Mary’s targets 97% each year as the attendance percentage for the whole school. If this was achieved, it would significantly exceed the National Average for primary schools. It is only with your support that we can achieve this.
The DFE expects schools to record percentages of attendance for pupils and to inform parents when there are concerns that attendance is low or there are patterns in absence. Schools have a legal responsibility to follow guidelines to ensure the attendance of children and to report concerns to agencies if attendance continues to be poor.
SMFR expects all children to have an attendance percentage of 95% or above. This is classed as ‘Good’ by the DFE. Attendance of 97% or above is classed as ‘Excellent’. Attendance below 95% is classed as ‘Poor’ and so may need to be actioned.