As we approach the end of this term I wanted to write on the issue of attendance. Much is reported in the media, from detailed academic research, into the factors which will have the greatest impact on the ability of a student to achieve the best they can whilst at school. There is no doubt that the most important of these factors is attendance. Put simply, if a child is not at school it is very difficult to offer them a high quality education. And in this regard it is the regular short term absence that can be the most damaging as it disrupts the learning over an extended period of time. The figures are well publicised:
- one day off per week equates to an attendance figure of 80%. Whilst this sounds an impressive number, over 5 years of education this would be the equivalent of one whole school year missed.
- one day off per fortnight equates to an attendance of 90%. Again this is an impressive figure but over 5 years would be the equivalent of half a year missed.
In either of the scenarios outlined above it is easy to see how achieving academic excellence would be very hard for a child.
The national average for attendance is just above 94%. As a school with a focus on excellence our aim is to beat this figure. We have set ourselves the target of 95% for this academic year.
Now the good news. Marlwood school has had great success this year in regard to improving the attendance of individuals and consequently the whole community. At the last count we were just short of our target and above the national average. Most impressively this is a big increase on last year.
So a big well done to all those students who got themselves into school and continue to do so on a regular basis. And a big thank you to the parents on providing the support that students sometimes need to get here when they are not feeling their best.
As we move through the winter months I hope we can continue
'Working together for excellence' in regard to attendance and keep those total figures as high as possible.
