Thomas Becket Catholic School aims to encourage students to achieve the best possible levels of attendance in order to take full advantage of the learning experiences available to them.
The school offers an environment in which children feel welcomed and valued. Through the ethos of our school, children will be aware that their presence in school is important and they will be missed if they are absent or late.
Attendance Procedure
Illness and Medical Appointments
Parents must inform the school by 8.30am if their child is absent and give the reason for and likely duration of the absence. This should be done using the school's designated absence line or by contact with the school office.
If we do not hear from a parent/carer the school attendance office will endeavour to contact home to ensure students are safe.
a) Every effort should be made to arrange medical appointments outside school hours.
b) An appointment card or verification by the doctors/dentist/hospital is required both for late arrivals and for absences and handed into Reception.
c) If it is necessary for your child to be out of school for this reason they should be returned to school directly after the appointment.
Attendance
96% + Excellent - Well done! This will help all aspects of your child's progress and life in school. This will give them a good start in life and supports a positive work ethic.
85-95% Unacceptable - Absence is now affecting attainment and progress at school and causing serious concern. Please work with the school urgently to improve the situation. All students below 95% will be monitored by attendance.
Good attendance at school is vital for students to achieve their full educational potential. Students with good attendance records benefit in the following ways:
- Continuity of learning which makes progress and retention easier
- Enhanced performance in exams
- Continuity of relationships and friendships
- Good references for further education or employment
- Good habits are formed for later life
- Research shows that attendance has a direct impact on GCSE results. If a pupil's attendance is less than 50% throughout their school life they are less likely to succeed in their GCSE exams. In fact, only 3% of these pupils do.
- For pupils who miss between 10%-20% of school, only 35% manage to succeed in their GCSE exams.
- However for pupils who attend at least 95% of the time, 73% achieve above the national benchmark for GCSEs including in English and maths.
The DfE defines Persistent Absentees as school-age pupils missing more than 10% of sessions in a school year.
Attendance FAQs
Why is attendance important?
Coming to school each day is vital for you to learn. If you miss a day of school, you miss out on nearly 5 hours of learning. This can add up. It’s always important to come to school unless you are sick – even if you feel tired.
What is our school's attendance target?
Every student at our school should aim to come to school 100% of the time – that’s every day. Our target for the whole school is 96%.
What time do I have to be in school each day?
All students must be in school by 8.35am.
What happens if I am late to school?
If you arrive after 8.40am, you will have to visit the school's main reception where a member of staff will take your name, reason for lateness and may issue you with a lunchtime detention.
What absences are allowed?
If you are too sick to attend school, your parent must contact the school by 8.30am. We will authorise absences when you are too sick to attend school, for sporting events, work experience and school trips.
We don’t allow absences for non-genuine illness, waiting home for a parcel, visiting relatives, family holidays or anything which could adversely affect your learning.
Can I have some time off for a dentist appointment?
The majority of parents understand the impact absence can have on their child’s studies and therefore book appointments outside of the school day. Where these absences cannot be avoided, i.e. orthodontic appointments, we will authorise 2 hours of absence per appointment.
Will the school contact my parents regarding attendance?
Schools have a responsibility to track and monitor attendance and to encourage you to attend regularly.
If your attendance drops below the schools target, staff at school will contact home to discuss our concerns. If your attendance continues to drop, we will support you though an attendance support plan or parenting contract.
In the event of severe absence, we will contact the local authority and ask them to support us.
For more information please read our Attendance Policy, which is available to download below.