Attendance

Dear Parents and Carers,

At Harwich and Dovercourt High School, we are committed to ensuring every student has the best possible opportunity to succeed, and one of the key factors in achieving this is regular school attendance.

Why Attendance Is So Important

Good attendance is directly linked to high achievement and a sense of belonging at school. When students attend regularly, they not only make better academic progress, but they also build strong friendships, develop routines, and gain confidence in their learning.

Key Facts About Attendance

• 95% attendance means your child is missing about 10 days of school in a year - that’s two full weeks of learning.
• 90% attendance may sound acceptable, but it actually means missing one day every two weeks - which adds up to four weeks of learning lost over the school year.
• Over 5 years, a student with 90% attendance misses half a year of education.
• Evidence shows that students with higher attendance are significantly more likely to achieve better GCSE or equivalent outcomes.
• Attendance below 90% is classed as ‘persistent absence’ and is monitored closely by the school and local authority.
• Being just 5 minutes late each day adds up to over three full days of lost learning each year.
• Children who miss school frequently can find it harder to catch up with classwork and may feel less confident socially and academically.

New Guidance and Policy Updates

To help parents decide whether they should allow their child a day off school when unwell, the NHS has produced guidance on common illnesses, available on the ‘NHS – Is my child too ill for school?’ webpage. This guidance underpins our decisions about whether absence due to illness can be authorised.

From September 2024, the new government attendance regulations have come into effect. As a result, the Sigma Trust has updated our own attendance policy, which you can view via this link: 

HDHS Attendance Policy 24/25

We continue to work closely with our partners at Aquinas Provision to support students and their families in promoting regular school attendance.

Our Expectations and Support

We aim for all students to have attendance of 96% or above. Of course, we understand that illness and exceptional circumstances can sometimes affect attendance, and we encourage open communication when this happens.

All parents/carers are encouraged to contact the school at an early stage if any issues arise. Working together in this way is nearly always successful in resolving concerns. If difficulties cannot be resolved informally and you are invited to a school meeting regarding attendance, we kindly ask you to attend or contact us to explain any barriers your child may be facing.

If there is ever an occasion when your child cannot attend school, we ask that you contact the school by 8.30am on the first day of absence and each day thereafter. You can do this by calling 01255 245460 and leaving a message on the absence line, or by contacting your child’s Student Support Assistant directly if you need to speak with a member of staff.

What You Can Do

• Aim to schedule routine appointments outside of school hours whenever possible.
• Keep up-to-date with school term dates.
• Notify the school as early as possible if your child is absent and let us know the reason.
• Encourage good routines around sleep, nutrition, and punctuality to support daily school attendance.

Together, we can ensure that every child at Harwich and Dovercourt High School has the best chance to reach their potential. Thank you for your continued support.

Warm regards,

Mr G Simpson
Assistant Headteacher - Attendance Champion

https://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/school-attendance-and-absence