Attendance
Why good attendance matters
Regular school attendance is an important part of giving children the best possible start in life. The aim should be to attend 100% of the time.
Students who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams. Good attendance also shows potential employers that a young person is reliable.
Research suggests that students who attend school regularly could also be at less risk of getting involved in antisocial behaviour or crime. Below is a table showing how children’s percentage attendance equates to the amount of school time missed.
|
Attendance during one school year |
Equivalent Days |
Equivalent Sessions |
Equivalent Weeks |
Equivalent Lessons Missed |
|
95% |
9 Days |
18 Sessions |
2 Weeks |
54 Lessons |
|
90% |
19 Days |
38 Sessions |
4 Weeks |
114 Lessons |
|
85% |
29 Days |
58 Sessions |
6 Weeks |
174 Lessons |
|
80% |
38 Days |
72 Sessions |
8 Weeks |
228 Lessons |
|
75% |
48 Days |
96 Sessions |
10 Weeks |
288 Lessons |
|
70% |
57 Days |
114 Sessions |
11.5 Weeks |
342 Lessons |
|
65% |
67 Days |
134 Sessions |
13.5 Weeks |
402 Lessons |
It is also important to arrive at school on time. If a child arrives late to school every day, their learning begins to suffer. Below is a graph showing how being late to school every day over a school year adds up to lost learning time over one academic year.
