Establishing good attendance patterns from an early age can help children later on in life. Evidence suggests that pupils who attend school more regularly achieve better outcomes in their GCSEs than those with poor attendance. In addition to missing academic work, children will also miss out on the social side of school life. This, especially in the first few years of education, can affect children’s ability to make and maintain friendships.

Arriving at school on time is vital. Arriving late at school can be disruptive for your child, the teacher and other children in the class. Arriving after the register closes results in an unauthorised absence being recorded for that session.

Employers will want someone reliable; having a good and punctual attendance record demonstrates reliability and may enhance chances of good employment.

If regular attendance patterns are not established, research has indicated that some young people who regularly miss school for no good reason may be drawn into anti-social behaviour or crime.

If you are having difficulty in getting your child to school, please contact your child’s Head Teacher or Head of Year in the first instance. It may be that the school will make a referral to the Education Welfare Service to see what they can do to help you.