At Thomas Hickman School we believe that a high level of attendance is crucial for a child's success both acdemically and socially.

Why Is Attendance Important?

High Attendance

Children who attend school regularly benefit in the short and long term. A child with good attendance is setting themselves up for a better future once they leave school. Employers want staff who are reliable, and good attendance is a sign that your child can be trusted.

Low Attendance

There is a clear link between poor attendance at school and lower academic achievement. Even taking a small amount of time off school can be a problem. Your child might fall behind in their work and find it hard to catch up. The fact is, if your child doesn’t attend school regularly, they are less likely to do as well as other children. Children who miss school are missing out on the social side of things, which affects their ability to make and keep friends.

That means fewer chances and fewer choices when they are looking for work and developing social relationships later in life.

Children who miss schooling during the early years are likely to start school already behind their peers, particularly in the acquisition of language and their social development.

Being late for school affects a child’s learning too.  A child who is 10 minutes late every day will miss 30 hours of lessons during a year.

Did you know?

• If a child has 90% attendance that means that he/she is absent for lessons for half a day every week.

• If their attendance stays at 90% during the academic year he/she will miss 4 weeks of school, which equates to nearly half a term

• If his / her attendance stays at about 90% from Year 1 to Year 6 he / she will have missed 27 weeks which is over half a school year.