During September, over half of the school’s current learners achieved 100 per cent attendance after not missing a single lesson since the start of term. This achievement was acknowledged through the first of the year’s attendance incentives – ‘100% Heroes’. Created to inspire engagement and introduce all students to the benefits of good attendance, five students were subsequently rewarded for their efforts – collectively winning £250 worth of vouchers.

Winners were chosen from each of the school’s five year groups, with each student receiving a £50 voucher. Taking the prize for Year 7 was Wyatt Parrington, followed by Layla Kirk (Year 8), Kieva Hunter (Year 9), Oakley O’Hara (Year 10) and Mollie Pateman-Carr (Year 11).

Year 7 winner Wyatt Parrington said: “I feel excited and didn’t expect it. I’m planning on putting the money towards either a Fire Max 11 tablet or maybe an Xbox gift card. Attending school is important because you learn more and you don’t forget things because if you’re off school, you miss what’s going on and it’s harder to catch up.”

Year 11 winner Mollie Pateman-Carr added: “I was a bit shocked when I found out that I’d won, but really happy. Year 11 is a really important year - attending school so that you can pass your GCSEs and get to where you want to be next year really matters.”  

Harriet Elvidge, Withernsea High School’s Attendance Officer, said: “I am really proud of all the students who achieved 100% attendance in September, and especially the ones who have won our first prizes of the year. It's great to have the support of parents/carers, staff and governors, not to mention the students themselves, who all recognise the importance of strong attendance.

“There are basic steps that can be taken to improve attendance, such as ensuring any medical appointments for students are made out of school hours, or that students return to school as soon as they feel better after an illness. These small changes can have a big impact.

“We remain grateful to have the backing of the school’s governing body to help reward and recognise our students’ attendance achievements and I am really excited to see the launch of other incentives throughout the year which I know will continue to help promote positive attendance.”

Headteacher Mark Crofts added: “Good attendance is the bedrock of success in school and 100% attendance is what we encourage all students to aspire to. When students maintain 100% attendance, it is right that we acknowledge and celebrate it because we all know that it requires determination and discipline to achieve. Our September 100% attendance heroes have clearly got that mindset and, like all those others who achieved 100%, realise the importance of this for their education. They also know that you must be present to stand any chance of winning the prize!”.

As a priority within the school’s SIP (School Improvement Plan) both the school’s leadership team and governing body are keen to embed a culture of celebrating and rewarding good attendance. As such, the governors have once again allocated funding for the academic year ahead to help promote, recognise and reward strong attendance.

Rebecca Pindar, Deputy Headteacher, said: “Improving attendance has always been a strategic priority for the school. We realise that parents and carers play a huge role in this and we work closely with families to ensure the importance of attending school is understood by all.

“Regular attendance is not just about academic performance, but the significant impact it has on a child's overall development and lifelong well-being. The best place for a student to learn and develop is in school. Attending regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves and maximises their educational opportunities.

“This is why improved attendance, and meeting individual or form group targets, is celebrated across the year. We have an ambitious target of 95% for whole school attendance and are working with students, parents, carers and staff to achieve this goal.”

To put the impact of absence into context for students at Withernsea High, an annual attendance rate of 95% would equate to nine school days being lost and 36 lessons missed. While a 90% absence rate would mean 76 lessons were missed over 19 days.

In the autumn of the 2023-24 academic year, the overall absence rate at schools in England was 6.7 per cent - a decrease from 7.5 per cent the previous autumn. However, these figures still remain higher than pre-pandemic rates which were consistently below 5 per cent.

In the academic year to-date, the national average attendance rate currently sits 93.3%, with schools in the Yorkshire and Humber area falling slightly below at 92.8%.

Meanwhile, Withernsea High School’s attendance incentives programme continues this term with the launch of a brand-new reward scheme that will run throughout the year, culminating in an end of year grand prize draw. ‘Door to Draw’ will see students issued with a raffle ticket at the end of every week that they achieve 100% attendance. The more weeks they attend in full, the more entries they will have in the final draw for a chance to win a range of prizes from iPads to AirPods, and vouchers to gaming tech.

Door to Draw will work alongside other incentives, including rewards for tutor groups and individuals, to acknowledge short-term and long-term attendance goals in the academic year ahead.

ABOVE: School Attendance Officer Harriet Elvidge with Year 7 winner Wyatt Parrington, followed by Layla Kirk (Year 8), Kieva Hunter (Year 9), Oakley O’Hara (Year 10) and Mollie Pateman-Carr (Year 11).