Attendance & Acheivement

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Regular attendance at school is a key factor in enabling students to maximise their learning and improve their behaviour.

Lessons are planned to ensure progression & attainment in learning term on term and year on year.  Progression means that the students learn by building on previous learning. 

The young people we work with are often self-excluding. 

PHOENIXPLACE places a special emphasis on working together with the student and parent/carers in order to improve attendance. This is reviewed on an ongoing basis and steps are taken in line with the Attendance Policy if attendance fails to meet expectations.

If a student has not accessed school through absence, either for a period of time or by failing to attend for a day each week, their learning pattern will be disrupted.  This has consequences for the individual student’s learning and also for the learning of others in the class.  

In addition, absence has been shown to have an adverse effect on behaviour – not only in terms of a lengthy absence, requiring a student to re-familiarise herself with the expectations, rules, policies and procedures of the school, but the impact of absence on learning, and the resulting frustration on the student’s part can cause behaviour to deteriorate.

For these reasons, the school has high expectations of students that they will attend school in all cases.  In addition, regular attendance is a matter of interest to employers in the future should the school be asked for a reference.  It is also good practice for students to prove that they are reliable and they can take pride in this achievement.

Excellent attendance and attendance targets achieved are rewarded by tutors.

Arriving part way through a school session is disruptive both to the late student and also to the class in general, including members of staff.  The student’s learning is compromised as they will have missed out on some of the lesson.  The learning and concentration of others in the class may also be affected.  

Good standards of behaviour are also threatened by a student’s lateness – for example other students may resent the disruption of their learning, the student who is late may find it difficult to settle if they feel they have missed out on some of the lesson.  

Persistent lateness will have a serious adverse effect on a student’s learning.

Again, the school has high expectations of its students. Good punctuality is valued highly by future employers. Demonstrating the maturity not only to to get to school on time each day, but to arrive on time to each lesson  is another way students can prove that they are reliable.

Each term the school organises a Punctuality Week to encourage students to make special effort to attend school and classes on time. Winners receive rewards at the end of the punctuality week.