Not only do schools equip children with the knowledge and qualifications they need for later life, but they are also places where children make friends, learn new hobbies, and build on their ambitions for the future. If we want to offer every child the best chance in life, it must start with ensuring that they can regularly attend school.

RACHEL DE SOUZA, CHILDREN’S COMMISSIONER 2023

At Gospel Oak School we are committed to supporting your son/daughter to attend school every day as we recognise that being around friends and teachers is the best way for students to learn and reach their potential. We strongly believe that education is a right and we know that if we want to give our students the best start in life, we must ensure that we work alongside our families and other stakeholders to break down the barriers and challenges facing our young people. Being in school is important to every son/daughter’s achievement, wellbeing, and wider development. Time in school keeps students safe as well as providing them with access to both ongoing pastoral and academic support. Plus, evidence shows that the students with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A Level results. (Department for Education May 2023).

As parents/carers, you have a legal duty to ensure your son/daughter receives a full time-education. We ask you to work with us to promote and reward good attendance and punctuality. You play a vital role in supporting your son/daughter to access their education by fostering a culture of commitment to learning. You are responsible for ensuring your son/daughter’s regular and on-time attendance, which not only supports their academic progress but also instils essential life skills.

Sometimes your son/daughter may not want to attend school. We understand this and we encourage parents/carers and students to be open and honest with us about the reasons for absence. If your son/daughter does not want to attend school, it is never better to cover up their absence or give in to pressure to let your son/daughter stay at home. This can give the impression to your son/daughter that attendance does not matter and can make things worse. As a school, we need to understand the reasons why your son/daughter may not want to attend school so we can support you and your son/daughter in the best way possible. For students with medical conditions or other circumstances that may at times prevent regular attendance, we will fully support each student to be able to attend as much as possible. Our school will use an individual health plan and will work alongside other relevant professionals such as health colleagues, and yourselves, to best support them.

To report student absence, please email use the Arbor app or our attendance team after 8am on 0121 556 1351. 

There are only a small number of circumstances where missing a school day is permitted. Your son/daughter must attend every day that the school is open, unless: 

• Your son/daughter is too ill to attend. 
• You have asked in advance and been given permission by the school for your son/daughter to be absent on a specific day due to exceptional circumstances. 
• Your son/daughter cannot go to school on a specific day because they are observing a religious event. 
• Your local authority is responsible for arranging your son/daughter’s transport to school and it is not available or has not been provided yet. 

These are the only circumstances where schools can permit your son/daughter to be absent. We encourage families to contact us and speak to form tutors, heads of year, deputy year team leads and year team leads to discuss.

There is strong statistical evidence to show that students who have excellent attendance are more successful in school and achieve to a significantly higher standard. The table below highlights the link between attendance and lost learning.

Our expectation is for all students to have 100% attendance to school and all lessons. This means that students get the most out of their learning.

As well as attendance, punctuality to school and lessons is important. Just a small amount of time missed due to being late has a significant impact over an academic year as shown in the table below:

 Please support your child to achieve their potential by ensuring they are in school every day and are punctual.