At Archbishop Holgate’s School we take pride in our excellent attendance. We work very hard with our students and parents to strive for the very best attendance and punctuality for every student. Attendance is at the heart of great progress, developing social skills and friendships.
Why is Good Attendance so Important?
As a Church of England school we strive to ensure that all of our young people are cared for, given every opportunity to develop through academic study, to grow 
personally and spiritually and to live into being those Values we hold dear in our community and in wider society. Our role as a Church school is to help nurture both academic excellence and to help shape young people who can make a significant contribution to the community they serve. Key to this is a clear recognition that all students have individual gifts and talents and with support every young person can flourish.
We are very much aware of the impact that strong attendance has for children in all aspects of their school life and the negative impact that frequent absence can have. For example, recent studies are very clear that students who do not attend school on a regular basis (95% attendance and above) can suffer the following consequences:
- Loss of learning that impacts negatively on a pupils’ progress at both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.
- Lack of routine and structure impacts negatively on pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.
In our conversations regarding attendance, it is easy to overlook the impact that even minimal absence can have. However, the figures are quite startling. For example, a child with 89% attendance at the end of an academic year will have missed 21 days of school (over four school weeks of learning missed). It is easy to imagine the impact of missing so many lessons and time in school.
Whilst 89% is a positive achievement in an examination/test, 89% attendance would warrant a significant level of concern.
We believe that communication with parents and carers is absolutely key and we want to ensure that our dialogue with you is open, transparent and frequent. It is our aim that we always work with you in the understanding that strong attendance is very much in the best interest of the child, their wellbeing and their future.
| Descriptor | Threshold Attendance | Learning Hours Lost |
| Excellent | 100% 99% | 0 10 |
| Good | 98% 97% 96% | 20 30 37.5 |
| Cause for Concern | 95% 94% 93% 92% 91% | 47.5 55 65 75 85 |
| Unsatisfactory | 90% 89% 88% 87% | 95 105 115 125 |
| Serious Cause for Concern | 86% | 135 |
| Critical | 85% 84% 83% 82% 81% 80% | 142.5 152.5 160 170 180 190 |
The Inclusive Attendance Model
At Archbishop Holgate’s School, we are driven by an unwavering commitment to making school attendance a top priority, fully integrated with every aspect of school improvement. Using the Inclusive Attendance Model – the first and only accredited programme providing the pedagogy of practice – we support children and families to connect, belong, and thrive. Please click here to view the full document.
The Attendance Team
The attendance team is on hand to assist in removing any attendance barrier and support your child into school. Please feel free to contact a member of the team on 01904 411341 should you have any concerns regarding your child’s attendance.
 |  |  | |
| Faye Garland Deputy Head
| Louise Vaughan Strategic Lead for Attendance | Gail Hirst Attendance & Welfare Officer | Phillipa Myers Attendance Officer |
Parent Responsibilities to Ensure Excellent Attendance:
- Make sure your child attends every day on time
- Report their child’s absence before the start of school (8.45am) on each day of absence, and advise when they are expected to return by either phoning school 01904 411341 or using the ClassCharts App
- Ensure that, where possible, appointments for their child are made outside of the school day
- Avoid taking holidays in school time.
Parent can support strong attendance by:
- Establish good attendance habits by acting as a role model and showing the children that good attendance and punctuality is important.
- Praise and reward good attendance: even small successes, e.g. getting ready quickly, even if resisting going to school.
- Talk regularly with their child about school and how they feel about it. Children are more likely to want to attend and learn if they feel supported and their anxieties are listened to.
- Know routines of the school day to avoid issues, e.g. ensuring children have their PE kits on the right days.
- Establish a good bedtime routine, so that their child can sleep well, get enough sleep and make mornings less of a struggle.
Approval for term-time absence
The headteacher will only grant a leave of absence to a pupil during term time if they consider there to be ‘exceptional circumstances’. A leave of absence is granted at the headteacher’s discretion, including the length of time the pupil is authorised to be absent for.
Exceptional circumstances are one off events which are unavoidable, examples may include the death of a close relative, attendance at a funeral, a religious holiday, respite care of a looked after child, a housing crisis which prevents attendance.
The school considers each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the child’s historic attendance record, specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request.
To submit a request for a ‘leave of absence’, please CLICK HERE.
Any request should be submitted (in writing) as soon as it is anticipated and, where possible, at least 2 weeks before the absence. The headteacher may require evidence to support any request for leave of absence.
Rewarding Excellent Attendance
We feel it is important to recognise and reward those students who are consistently attending school. We celebrate excellent attendance in a number of ways:
- Weekly Golden Tickets for excellent attendance or improved attendance, which contribute to a half-termly prize draw.
- Recognition through attendance certificates, presented in the half-termly Act of Collective Worship Celebration Events
- Year Group treats for the Tutor Groups with the highest attendance, this includes treats such as, Pizza Lunch.
Importance of Punctuality
It is important to arrive at school on time as frequent lateness adds up to a lot of lost learning.
We expect our students to be in school to register no later than 8:45am each morning.
If there is an issue preventing your child from attending school on time, please contact a member of the attendance team as soon as possible.
