Attendance & Punctuality
Attendance
Harris Academy Morden aims to raise the achievement of all its students and to ensure that it meets the following aims:
- To encourage learners to adopt healthy lifestyles
- To ensure learners feel safe and adopt safe practices
- To ensure learners enjoy their education
- To encourage learners to make a positive contribution to the community
- To aid learners to prepare for their future economic well-being.
Students will:
- Arrive on site by 8.25am each Academy day, correctly dressed in uniform
- Attend registration and Assembly on time
- Attend all lessons on time
- Ensure parents/carers provide proper explanation of their absences
- Be prepared to make up missed work and ask for help if this is required
- Stay on site during the Academy day
Sign out at Student Reception if they have to attend an appointment (evidence must be provided). Parents must ensure that all efforts are made to book appointments outside of the Academy opening times.
Parents/Carers will:
- Encourage students to leave home in plenty of time in the mornings
- Ensure that they are in the correct Academy uniform
- Inform the Academy if a student is unwell or going to be late. Give an indication as to when the student will be well enough to return.
- Make routine medical/dental appointments out of school time
- Arrange for holidays to be taken out of term time. Should this be impossible, application for exception leave should be made in good time on the appropriate form to the Attendance Officer.
How can I support my child's attendance to school? - 7 Key Steps
- Talk regularly with your child about school and how they feel about it. More likely to attend if they feel supported and anxieties listened to.
- Phone us as soon as possible to tell us why your child is absent, and when you expect them to return. Putting the school number in your phone can save you time. Know the school routine for alerting you to absence.
- Only grant days at home for genuine illness. (you will know!!)
- Avoid taking holidays in school time.
- Know routines of the school day to avoid issues, e.g. have they got their PE kit?
- If you have concerns ring us – we will check attendance and be discreet.
- PRAISE AND REWARD GOOD ATTENDANCE: even small successes, e.g. going in promptly, even when first lesson is their worst!
Lots more useful advise can be found on the UK Government's attendance hub https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2022/09/02/back-to-school-week-everything-you-need-to-know-about-school-attendance/
Should I send my child to school?
Parents and carers are advised to check the NHS advice on whethere or not a child is considered too ill to attend school
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Other tips to help secure good attendance:
- Talk to us to resolve issues. We may be able to help and support you and your child. You are not alone.
- Be particularly watchful and supportive in the run up to tests and aware of coursework deadlines.
- Check Planner regularly for gaps as well as completed activities.
- Help them catch up with missed work, a missed day doesn’t have to mean missed work.
- Remember PRAISE for good attendance.
| Attendance % | Absences % | Days Absent in a Year |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | 1 | 2 |
| 98 | 2 | 4 |
| 97 | 3 | 6 |
| 96 | 4 | 8 |
| 95 | 5 | 10 |
| 94 | 6 | 11 |
| 93 | 7 | 13 |
| 92 | 8 | 15 |
| 91 | 9 | 17 |
| 90 | 10 | 19 |
| 89 | 11 | 21 |
| 88 | 12 | 23 |
| 87 | 13 | 25 |
| 84 | 14 | 27 |
| 85 | 15 | 29 |
| 84 | 16 | 30 |
| 83 | 17 | 32 |
| 82 | 18 | 34 |
| 81 | 19 | 36 |
| 80 | 20 | 38 |
| 79 | 21 | 40 |
| 78 | 22 | 42 |
| 77 | 23 | 44 |
| 76 | 24 | 46 |
| 75 | 25 | 48 |
| 74 | 26 | 49 |
| 73 | 27 | 51 |
| 72 | 28 | 53 |
| 71 | 29 | 55 |
| 70 | 30 | 57 |
1 day off a month = 2 weeks missed at school each year
17 days off school each year = 1 Grade lower at GCSE
Average earnings:
0 Qualifications = £7.44 per hour
GCSEs = £9.02 per hour 'A' Levels = £10.25 per hour
Graduate degree = £15.01 per hour
SCHOOL x ATTENDANCE = SUCCESS!
