Impact of Absences
Being absent from school reduces the number of lessons a pupil will attend for every subject. The tables below show the significant impact absences have on teaching and learning.
How many lessons will a pupil miss based on weekly absences?
| Number of days absent per week |
Number of lessons missed per week |
Number of lessons missed per month |
| One day |
7 |
28 |
| Two days |
14 |
56 |
| Three days |
21 |
84 |
How many lessons will a pupil miss a year based on monthly absences?
| Number of days absent per month |
Number of lessons missed per academic year |
| Three days |
231 |
| Five days |
385 |
| Ten days |
770 |
Arriving late to School
If a pupil arrives late to school in the morning or to class during the day, important events such as assemblies, teacher instructions and the handing out of resources can be missed.
The table below indicates how frequent late coming equates to a significant amount of missed teaching.
|
Minutes late per day |
Approximate number of days teaching lost per year |
Approximate number of lessons missed per year |
| Five minutes |
3 |
19 |
| Ten minutes |
5 ½ |
38 |
| Fifteen minutes |
8 |
57 |
Attendance percentage breakdown
75% attendance across 4 years results in a pupil missing one full teaching year by the end of fouth year.
90% attendance means that a pupil is absent from lessons for the equivalent of one-half day every week. Over five years, this is the equivalent of approximately one half of a school year.
An average attendance of 90% can significantly hinder future opportunities both within further education and the workforce. Every school day and every lesson is important, make them count!
