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Sir Harry Smith Community College understands the value of regular attendance to school and its impact on a child's learning.

The attendance target for the College is 95%.

Attendance & Attainment

This page is here to help parents undersatnd the importance of attending school and to understand the effects that non-attendance has on attainment.

Why Does Attendance Have a High Profile?

There are 7.7 million days lost each year through non attendance at schools.

10% of persistant truants achieved 5 A*-C GCSE's compared with 38% of occasional truants and 58% of non truants.

21% of persistent truants had no qualifications as opposed to 3% of non truants.

'A student in Year 8. His attendance is always around 90%, he thinks this is pretty good.

A 90% attendance means that this student is absent from lessons for the equivalent of half a day every week

In  Year 7 the student missed the equivalent of four whole weeks

If the student continued this pattern then over five years he will miss the equivalent of half a school year

Attendance %...............What's Yours ?

% Attendance Weekly

% Attendance Termly / Yearly
90% = 1/2 Day 90% = 1 Week 2 Days / 4 Weeks
80% = 1 Day 80% = 2 Weeks 4 Days / 8 Weeks
70% = 1 1/2 Days 70% = 4 Weeks 1 Day / 12 Weeks
60% = 2 Days 60% = 5 Weeks 3 Days / 16 Weeks
50% = 2 1/2 Days 50% = 7 Weeks / 20 Weeks
40% = 3 Days 40% = 8 Weeks 2 Days / 24 Weeks
30% = 3 1/2 Days 30% = 9 Weeks 1 Day / 28 Weeks
If your son/daughter were to have a 90% attendance rate in each school year, by the time they reach Year 11, it would mean they have been absent for 20 weeks or 1 1/2 terms.

Students leaving scool with five A grades at GCSE, will earn £350,000 more, over their lifetime, than those leaving with five C's.

High attendance =

  • More learning opportunities
  • More qualifications
  • More choice
Every Lesson Counts!