Success is built on good habits, excellent attendance is an integral part of a positive and successful education. At Baxter College, we expect pupils at school every day, on time, wearing the correct uniform with the correct equipment. These basics habits form the foundation of a successful day.
Current start times-
Years 7,8,9 and 10 on site at 8.40am ready for line-up at 8.45am
Yr11 are expected to be at their Period 0 rooms at 8.30am.
Please contact the attendance team if you have any concerns, attendance@bax.saet.co.uk or phone 01562 741524 and go through to attendance
To achieve this, our expectations are as follows:
- Every student must aim to be in school every day.
- Please inform the school by 8:45 if your child is absent.
- Good attendance is built on a strong partnership between home and school. If a pupil is absent, it is the responsibility of the parent/carer to inform the school on the same day.
- If a reason for absence is not given, this will be recorded as unauthorised absence.
- Medical appointments should ideally take place after school. We do realise this is not always possible, in which case please try to make sure they take place during the day between 10.00am and 1.45pm and that pupils return to school after the appointment.
- We may request medical evidence when there is a bout of long term absence.
- Pupils who are late must sign in at the Student Support Centre. They will be expected to return at their break time to complete a 15-minute detention.
- The government now bases Persistent Absence on 90% attendance or below. 90% attendance means a day of school is missed every fortnight. Over the course of a year, this amounts to a month off school.
- We do not authorise term time holidays unless there are exceptional circumstances.
- We use a traffic light system to monitor attendance.
- The links between attendance and attainment are clear. Regular attendance means your child can make the most of their education, improving their chances in adult life. In order to achieve their full potential, we expect all pupils to maintain attendance of at least 97%.
Impact of Absence from School
If the student’s attendance is 80% at the end of the academic year they will have missed the equivalent of 8 weeks of schooling and 200 hours of lessons!Stages of attendance
If you fall into the red category, there is the possibility that you may be referred to the local authority. This can result in a court hearing and a possible fine, community order or custodial sentence.
Broken Weeks
This shows the number of broken weeks students have had in a period. Students need to be in school to maximise their learning and success. Broken weeks have a hugely negative impact on learning and achievement.
A student can have 95% attendance but still have 10 broken weeks. This will be hugely detrimental to their learning, leaving big gaps in knowledge. This is particularly a problem with subjects such as maths where learning is cumulatively built over time.
We understand that there can be health problems, but, please don’t believe that the ‘odd day off can’t harm’. Research carried out on the effect of broken weeks and achievement is astounding.
Top tips to avoid broken weeks
If you are experiencing difficulty getting your child into school – talk to us! Our dedicated attendance team can help provide advice and support.
