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Why is attendance at school so important?
Why is attendance at school so important?
In short there are two things that make attendance important:
In short there are two things that make attendance important:
There is a direct link between poor attendance and poor outcomes
There is a direct link between poor attendance and poor outcomes
Poor attendance is an indicator of there being a issue that needs to be resolved
Poor attendance is an indicator of there being a issue that needs to be resolved
As people working in a school we ALL need to be alert to poor attendance and potential safeguarding issues. We ALL have a role to play in ensuring that there is a culture of great attendance.
As people working in a school we ALL need to be alert to poor attendance and potential safeguarding issues. We ALL have a role to play in ensuring that there is a culture of great attendance.
But why me, I might work in school, but I have little to do with the pupils?
But why me, I might work in school, but I have little to do with the pupils?
As a member of the academy team you will already have had training in safeguarding and what to be alert for. There are close links between safeguarding and poor attendance and if you regularly notice a child coming in late or a child out on the streets during school time (especially if you work part-time) this can be an indication of an issue and should be reported.
Many members of the academy team are also members of the local community and often parents of children at the academy themselves. As such you can play a special role in ensuring that there is a strong culture of good attendance in the academy. You can do this by talking positively to parents and the local community about the academy and its pupils and by reinforcing the message above - that if children don't attend regularly they are at a greater risk of falling behind their peers. Sometimes parents can be reluctant for their children to attend school or do not see it as a high enough priority because they didn't have a positive experience at school. Reassuring parents and letting them know that there are staff in school who can support in helping their children to attend regularly can go a long way to making a difference.
When you are in the academy, if you do get a chance to talk with pupils, you can support encouraging great attendance by commenting positively that pupils are in school regularly and on time and pointing out things like attendance displays and class attendance signs. Of course, you can also model great attendance yourself!
And finally . . . . .
And finally . . . . .
Take a look at the following two short videos. The first one is from the USA but the statistics given are equally valid in the UK and will really bring home to you why its important that we all try and ensure that children have great school attendance. The second is a report from the BBC about reasons why pupils don't attend school. If any of this sounds familiar, that's when its important to act and tell the relevant person in school so that we can put our pupils back on the right path and ensure that they are kept safe and happy.
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