Attendance

Chelsea Academy strongly believes that outstanding attendance and punctuality is vital in ensuring that all our students can flourish in all aspects of Academy life. We hold the highest expectations for all our students and celebrate their learning so that they become confident, happy and successful individuals who have enhanced opportunities for their future. We all have hopes and dreams for our children. But the statistics show young people will only be able to realise their full potential, academically and personally, if they are in the academy and ready to learn at least 97% of the time. It is never too late to benefit from good attendance.

Attendance is everyone’s business!

We understand that barriers to attendance are complex, and that some students find it harder than others to attend school.  Therefore, we will continue to prioritise cultivating a safe and supportive environment at the Academy, as well as strong and trusting relationships with students and parents in order to remove any barriers to attendance.  

We ensure that all our staff have a confident understanding of their roles, working tenaciously, to promote our high expectations around attendance by working with both students and their families to ensure that the right support is in place on a day-to-day basis. We will ensure that staff are equipped not only to identify any trends or barriers that may exist around attendance and punctuality but to have those key conversations and build positive working relationships for all by listening, supporting, challenging and rewarding where required.

We recognise that it is important we not only recognise and reward those students who are here every day, but also those students who are working hard to improve their attendance – creating a whole academy culture when attendance is seen as an aspirational behaviour valued by all.

Why attendance is so important

Research shows that lower attendance leads to lower attainment outcomes for pupils at both Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6) and Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11), and the statistics are compelling:

  • Data from the 2022-2023 academic year for the end of Key Stage 2 shows that 71% of pupils who had 99% attendance or above achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared to only 50% of pupils with 90% attendance.
  • This drops to only 42% of children achieving the expected standards with 85% attendance.
  • Equally, at Key Stage 4, pupils who missed less than 1% of sessions across Year 10 and 11 had an average Progress 8 score of +0.73, while those who missed 50% of sessions or more had an average score of -2.83.

While the link between attendance and attainment is clear, absence is not just about exam results. It’s about all the other important moments that take place during the academy day that help to shape young people: building positive peer relationships, taking part in extracurricular activities and trips, developing important personal skills and finding a sense of belonging within the academy community.

There are times when absence is unavoidable and a student is too unwell to attend. In a post-pandemic world, it’s sometimes difficult to know when children suffering from mild coughs and colds can and should be sent into the academy. To help parents make an informed decision, please see the advice and guidance from the Chief Medical Officer

Equally, for some families, the challenges around attendance are very real and there are significant barriers preventing children from coming into the academy. If you are struggling and need support, please contact the academy directly at attendance@chelsea-academy.org and we will work with you to put a plan in place.  

Ultimately, as parents and teachers, we all want the best for our children. At Chelsea Academy, we will always strive to place them at the heart of everything we do. Please help us to do our very best for them by ensuring they come to the academy each day. 

Thank you for your ongoing support.

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