Attendance
Every day at school counts.
At St George’s Church of England Primary School, we value the attendance of all pupils. There is a strong relationship between good school attendance and achieving positive outcomes for children.
The evidence is clear – even a few days of missed school can have a significant impact on a child’s education and future prospects.
Attendance and Attainment
The higher a pupil’s attendance, the more they are likely to learn, and the better they are likely to perform in exams and formal assessments.
Data shows that 84% of Key Stage 2 pupils who had 100% attendance achieved the expected standard, compared to 40% of pupils who were persistently absent across the key stage.
The data also shows children in Key Stage 2 who didn’t achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths missed on average four more days per school year than those whose performance exceeded the expected standard.
The long-term impact on earnings
Missing school doesn’t just affect exam results and a child’s time in education – it can impact future earnings too.
Persistently absent pupils in secondary school could earn £10,000 less at age 28 compared to pupils with near-perfect attendance.
For each additional day of absence between Years 7 to 11, the typical pupil could miss out on an average of £750 in future lifetime earnings.
What can you do?
As a parent or carer, you have an important role in making school attendance a priority. Only keep your child off school when they are genuinely too ill to attend. Book medical appointments and holidays outside of school time whenever possible. And talk to your child’s school if you’re having difficulties with attendance.
What if my child is too ill to go to school?
It’s usually safe for parents and carers to send their children to school with mild illnesses, like a minor cough, runny nose or sore throat.
However, children should stay at home if they have a high temperature of 38C or above.
The NHS has published guidance to help parents and carers decide whether their child is well enough to attend school, including information on a range of common childhood illnesses and conditions, such as coughs, colds, chickenpox, measles and headlice.