Attendance

At AGFS we are proud to have strong attendance. During the pandemic we maintained the same level of scholar attendance as in person attendance which was 96%. As we have returned to school, scholar attendance remains above national average. We will continue to strive for 100% attendance for all our scholars to ensure they reap the benefits of our strong educational provision.

 

The information below aims to provide information about why attendance is important and how we monitor attendance.

 

Why does Attendance matter?

There is a clear link between poor attendance at school and lower academic achievement, in a nutshell – how can our scholars learn if they are not here?

• A scholar with less than 90% attendance will have missed more than 114 lessons per year, almost an entire half-term
• A scholar who is absent a day of school per week misses an equivalent of two years of their school life
• Of scholars with less than 50% attendance, only 3% manage to achieve five or more GCSE’s at grade 9-5 including Maths and English
• Poor examination results limit young people’s options and poor attendance suggests to colleges and employers that these students are unreliable
• Poor school attendance is also closely associated with crime - a quarter of school-age offenders have truanted repeatedly

What are we doing?

At AGFS we are working hard to identify early concerns and issues which may be affecting a scholar’s attendance.

• We continuously promote the importance of good attendance throughout the school as a part of our culture; specifically through assembly and tutor time.
• We have robust monitoring processes with corresponding action plans in place as outlined below.
• We ensure extensive support is offered to those who experience difficulties with punctuality and/or attendance.
• We reward scholars with 100% attendance but also rewarding for the most improvement to ensure everyone who prioritises attendance is rewarded.

Attendance Monitoring Process

If a scholar’s attendance falls below 95%, you will receive letters triggering this concern and asking you to ensure your scholar attends school. Should your scholar’s attendance continue to deteriorate, the Attendance Officer will meet with you and your child. If no improvement occurs your case will be passed onto the Education and Welfare Service Officer who will then take further action to bring about prosecution for non-school attendance/unsatisfactory school attendance.

• BLUE: 100%
• Your scholar has excellent attendance

  • Monitored by Tutor and School Attendance Officer

  • Scholars’ who achieve 100% attendance and punctuality on a weekly basis receive 10 golden tickets which can be traded for items in the stationery shop and canteen.

  • Scholars who achieve 100% attendance and punctuality for the entire term receive a special certificate in recognition of their efforts

• GREEN: 97-99%

• Your scholar has good attendance

  • Added to the watch list and monitored by school office and Attendance Officer

• AMBER: 90-96%

• Your scholar’s attendance is a concern and you will receive a letter to say we are monitoring it. This is the equivalent of between ½ a day to 1 day absent per fortnight

  • A meeting is set up with the Attendance Officer and Head of Year with the objective to improve attendance. If there is improved attendance, scholars are rewarded in Head of Year Assemblies.
  • If there is no further improvement, a concern letter is sent to parents/carers (reflective of what their scholar’s attendance is).
  • When a scholar’s attendance falls below 92%, parents meet with the Attendance and Welfare Officer to set an action plan to improve attendance.
  • Scholars who show improved attendance are nominated by the school’s Attendance Officer and receives a reward in the fortnightly rewards assembly
  • If there is no improvement, the Education Welfare Services will follow up with a pre-court meeting which may result in a fixed penalty notice.

• RED: <90%

• Your scholar’s attendance is a serious concern. Your scholar is classed as a ‘Persistent Absentee’. This is the equivalent of more than ½ a day absent per week

  • A pre-court meeting with the Attendance Officer and/or Education Welfare Officer takes place
  • An Attendance Support Plan is set up in school
  • Fixed Penalty Notice (where appropriate)
  • Court Action (where appropriate)

Reporting Absence

If your scholar is unable to attend school, you must notify us by 08:00 using one of the methods below. The school should be updated on each and every day of absence.

 

Medical Appointments

As per our attendance policy, medical appointments should be made outside of school hours where possible. Where this is not possible, the school requires at least 2 days' notice for all medical appointments, excluding emergency appointments. Please note if your child has a known medical condition, the period of informing us of any appointments extends to 5 day’s notice. You must inform the school immediately of any emergency appointments. You can send in your evidence of appointment to info@arkgreenwich.org once this has been approved by the Attendance Officer. The Attendance Officer will ensure the scholar has a note in their planner once approved.

How Medical Absence Affects Attendance

All absences, whether authorised or not, will affect a scholar’s overall attendance percentage. Therefore we strongly recommend that the scholar still comes to school before and/or after the appointment. We do not authorise all-day medical absences unless the appointment is based out of the area with no chances to attend before or after.

What happens if my child has to isolate or tests positive for COVID?

You need to inform the Attendance Officer with evidence by emailing info@arkgreenwich.org and your child will be coded as I for Illness. Covid absences do count against your attendance percentage.