Dear Parents/Carers,
I am delighted to see all of our pupils back after the summer holidays. This letter is to remind all of our parents in year 8-11 about our attendance strategy and to outline this to our new Year 7 parents.
At regular intervals throughout the year your child will be given their attendance COHORT. We will contact parents/carers by email every half term informing them of the cohort their child is in. Those pupils who are a cause for concern will be closely monitored and discussed weekly.
Pupils are placed into one of five COHORTS based on their attendance to school, these are:
- Cohort 1: 97%+ – Excellent!
- Cohort 2: 95-96.9% – Very Good! Must be maintained.
- Cohort 3: 93- 94.9% – Needs Improving! May lead to pre-referral intervention.
- Cohort 4: 90.1-92.9% – Cause for Concern! If no medical evidence* is provided this urgently needs addressing by parents/carers, school and the Local Authority.
- Cohort 5: 90% and below – Serious Cause for Concern! If no medical evidence* is provided this may lead to penalty notice and/or prosecution.
*Medical evidence: a doctor’s letter, a copy of a prescription for medicine or the prescribed medicine packaging, or an appointment card which must be supplied to the school.
For your information: when medical evidence is provided this will still reduce your child’s attendance but their absence will be authorised.
All pupils should strive to be in COHORT 1 throughout the year. This would be outstanding. To achieve COHORT 1 status (97+% in a year) is highly regarded by teachers, colleges, universities and employers.
Cycle 2 will take place in the first week after half term. This will give pupils and parents COHORT numbers for the whole of half term 1. Pupils who are in 1 and 2 now should strive to remain in these COHORTs. Pupils in 3, 4 and 5 must make every effort to move up COHORTS by attending every day.
Failure to ensure regular and punctual school attendance may result in the issuing of a penalty notice under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 and/or prosecution under Section 444 of the Education Act 199
Yours sincerely,
Mr D Boothe
Vice PrincipaL – Behaviour & Attendance
