Improving attendance at St Alban’s R.C. High School

St Alban’s R.C. High School has a clear and robust focus on improving attendance. Leaders emphasise the importance of developing positive and supportive relationships with families as key to improving attendance. The school regularly communicates the significance of good attendance to parents, beginning with the year 6 transition parents’ evening. When pupils join the school in Year 7, form tutors send home a welcome email to further establish the school’s relationship with parents. The school’s Welfare and Engagement Officer makes early contact with parents to offer support if a pupil’s attendance is starting to cause concern followed by home visits from the well-being team. The school provides information on individual pupils’ attendance and makes relevant links to their progress, highlighting the impact poorer attendance has on pupils. Parents appreciate this support and work closely with the Welfare and Engagement Officer.

The school has developed clear lines of communication to ensure that form tutors, heads of year, senior leaders, the welfare engagement team and governors have a thorough understanding of attendance data and the interventions needed. There is a robust gradual response system which includes clear roles and responsibilities. Heads of year have weekly meetings to evaluate attendance progress against previous data (previous year, term, and week) and line manager meetings are used to monitor progress and evaluate, and amend where necessary, the impact strategies are having.

As a result of these strategies, pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected well in their level of attendance. Nearly all pupils are proud to belong to an inclusive school and promote its core values of mutual respect, courtesy and kindness.

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