Cliff Park Attendance 2026/27 Volume 1

A message from the Principal

Every day counts

This is the first Cliff Park Attendance update. It will come every Wednesday, and it has one job: to tell you what attendance means for your child, in plain words, and to help when something is getting in the way.

Last summer our results told us one thing more clearly than anything else. Students who were in school 95% of the time or more did as well as students anywhere in the country with the same starting point. Students at 90 to 95% finished about half a grade lower in every subject, on the same lessons with the same teachers. 90% sounds fine. It is four weeks off school a year.

So one thing to do this week: find your child's number, say it out loud, and agree one plan for the next tricky morning. How to do that is below.

We are not going to change attendance by writing stern letters. We will change it by being clear about what the numbers mean, by helping when something is getting in the way, and by noticing early.

Each week you will get our figures by year group, one thing worth knowing, one thing to try, and the people to ring. Read it with your child. Two minutes is enough.

Harry FrenchPrincipal, Cliff Park Ormiston Academy

Watch: just over a minute

Every day counts, the short version

74 sec

Everything in this update, in just over a minute. No sound needed, so it works on the bus or in the queue. Watch it with your child, then find their number in Arbor. The three steps are at the end of the video and in Say the number out loud, below.

Each week's update will come with a short video like this one.

Attendance so far this year

Our whole-school target is 92%. For your own child, the aim is 95% or better. These are the figures for the year so far, up to Tuesday 15th September.

The whole school so far this year

91.8%In schoolTarget 92%

4.6%Absent, reason knownIllness, appointments, agreed plans

3.6%Absent, not authorisedNo reason given, or holidays in term time

That 3.6% is the part we can change together fastest. If it moved into the first box, the whole school would be well past target.

80%85%90%95%100%

Year 7 91.5% ▲ 0.5 below

Year 8 95.5% ✓ on target

Year 9 89.5% ▲ 2.5 below

Year 10 93.2% ✓ on target

Year 11 89.7% ▲ 2.3 below

Target 92%

Bars start at 80% so the differences are easier to see. A quick rule: every 1% below 100 is about two days off across the year. Year 8 are leading the way at 95.5%, above even the individual aim, and Year 10 are on target. Year 7, Year 9 and Year 11 are within three days a year of 92%. A strong week from every year group would take the whole school over the line.

Three things to know

What the numbers mean

1
90% is four weeks off
In an exam, 90% would be a great score. In attendance it is 19 days a year, or nearly 100 lessons. Over five years at Cliff Park that is half a school year missing.
2
Being here is worth about half a grade in every subject
Last year, Year 11 students across England at 95% attendance or more were almost twice as likely to get a grade 5 in English and Maths as similar students at 90 to 95%. Ten extra days off in a year halved the chances. We saw the same here this summer: students at 95% or more matched the country, and students at 90 to 95% were about half a grade down in every subject. Every child is different, but the pattern is very strong.
3
Most students are close, and every day moves the number
More than half of last year's Year 11 were at 95% or above, and many of the rest were only a day a fortnight away. If your child has already missed days this term, it is not too late. Every day from now on counts, whatever the number is today.

Source: Department for Education, Why school attendance matters, August 2025.

One thing to try this week

Say the number out loud

Most parents guess their child has missed about half the days they really have. A large study of 28,000 families found that when schools simply sent parents the real number, absence fell. Nobody was told off. They just had not realised.

So we ask that this week you open the Arbor app, tap your child, tap Attendance. You will see a percentage and, under it, each absence listed. Count the days (Arbor may show a morning and an afternoon separately, and two of those make one day) and say them out loud together: "That is three days so far." Then ask your child one question: "What would help you be in every day next week?"

Then agree one plan for the next tricky morning, in your child's words if you can. For example: "Cold but no temperature, I go in. School rings Mum if I get worse."

If you cannot see the days in Arbor, reply to this message with your child's name and we will send you the number
Ask, do not tell. A question gets further than a lecture
If the number is high because of illness, a hospital appointment or something at home, tell us. That is a conversation, not a problem
If saying the number upsets your child, stop there. That reaction is useful information. Tell the form tutor or Head of Year and we will take it from there

Where to get help

Arbor app Attendance, messages and behaviour in one place Search Arbor in your app store
Your child's form tutor The first person to talk to about attendance enquiries@cliffparkoa.co.uk

Monday morning

Is my child well enough for school?

This is the hardest call a parent makes on a school morning. Here is the NHS advice as a simple guide. A child with a minor cough, cold or sore throat and no high temperature is usually well enough to come in.

Emergency: a severe headache with a stiff neck, a rash that does not fade when you press a glass on it, or light hurting their eyes. Ring 999 or go to A&E now, not a day at home.

	Send them in	Keep them home
Colds and coughs	Runny nose, sneezing, mild cough, sore throat, no temperature	Temperature of 38°C or above: home until it has gone and they are back on their feet
Tummy bugs	Feeling a bit off but eating and drinking normally	Vomiting or diarrhoea: home until 48 hours after the last time
Headaches, aches, feeling tired	Mild headache, tiredness, general aches	Bad enough that they cannot take part. Stiff neck: see Emergency above. If it is happening every week, tell the form tutor
Infectious illness	Once NHS guidance says they are no longer infectious	Chickenpox until every spot has crusted over (about five days). Scarlet fever until 24 hours after antibiotics started

Not sure? Ring us Ring 01493 661504, option 1, before 8.30am and we will help you decide. We would rather have the conversation than have them miss the day. If they come in and get worse, we will ring you.
When worry makes them feel ill Anxiety about school causes real stomach aches, headaches and sickness. Your child is not pretending. Staying home makes the fear bigger the next day, so tell us and we will make the morning easier, not harder, even if that means a later start.
Long-term conditions If your child has asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, migraines or another ongoing condition, tell us and we will agree a plan with you, so you never have to explain the same absence twice. We can keep their medication in the medical room and give it during the day. If your child is too ill for school for 15 school days or more, in one go or added up, they still have a right to education. We will work with Norfolk County Council to arrange it while they recover, so tell us early.
Appointments Book the dentist, optician and routine GP visits outside school hours where you can. If it has to be in school time, send them in before and after.
Emergency See the line above the table. A stiff neck, a non-fading rash or light hurting their eyes means 999 or A&E now.

Source: NHS, Is my child too ill for school? and the Chief Medical Officer's letter to schools on mild illness and attendance.

Watch: just over a minute

Well enough for school? The short version

64 sec

The table above as a short video, for the Monday morning when nobody has time to read. Save it to your phone, or share it with whoever does the school run.

Recognising the students who are here

Every student whose attendance is 100% this week, or has improved on last week, goes into Friday's draw for a £20 voucher. Students with an agreed attendance plan are in the draw when they meet their own plan. Form tutors are also awarding a Resilience Token for every full week in school, or every full week of a plan.

100% or improved £20 prize draw

Full week, or full week of your plan Resilience Token from your tutor

The 9.00am rule

Late after 9.00am counts as absent

School starts at 8.30am and the gates close then. A child who arrives between 8.30am and 9.00am is marked late, but they are still counted as present.

At 9.00am the register closes. Anyone arriving after that gets a U in the register, and a U counts as an unauthorised absence for the whole morning, even if they are in lessons by ten past. So a bus missed by five minutes can cost a full half day of attendance, and repeated Us add up in exactly the same way as days off.

This is a national rule for every school, not something we choose. What we can do is help you avoid it.

Aim for 8.20am. Buses that arrive before 8.30am are listed on our website, and free breakfast is open from 8.00am
Running late? Still come in. Being in lessons matters more than the code, and a late morning beats a lost day
Appointment first thing? Tell us before 9.00am and we will authorise it
If mornings are hard for a reason (transport, a younger sibling to drop off, a job), tell us. There is usually something we can do

Where to get help

Attendance line Ring before 9.00am if your child will be late 01493 661504, option 1
Bus times Routes that arrive before 8.30am www.cliffparkoa.co.uk

What happens when your child is absent

Day one. Please ring us before 8.30am on 01493 661504, option 1, or email cpoaattendance@cliffparkoa.co.uk. If we have not heard from you by 9.30am we will ring you.

When they come back. Their form tutor will say hello, check they are all right, and make sure they have what they missed. Coming back should never feel like a punishment.

If a pattern starts. The form tutor or Head of Year will call you. We want to know what is getting in the way so we can help.

If it keeps happening. We will sit down with you and make a plan, with named support in school and, where it helps, from outside. Fines are a last resort and you will always hear from us first. Illness you have told us about, medical appointments and absence agreed in a plan are never fined. Holidays in term time cannot normally be authorised. The rule is national: after five days of unauthorised absence in ten school weeks, the council can issue a fine of £80 per parent, per child, rising to £160 after 21 days. The full rules are on our website.

When school feels too hard

Some students are not refusing school. They cannot manage it. Anxiety about school is real and common, it is not bad behaviour or bad parenting, and it usually gets better with the right help. The earlier we start, the easier it is.

If your child is tearful in the mornings, or often feels sick on school days, tell us early. The same if they are being picked on, worried about someone at school, or avoiding certain days or lessons. On a bad morning, do not force it on your own. Ring the attendance line, say your child is struggling, and we will agree what today looks like: a later start, a quiet room, or a call from someone they trust. A short day we planned together beats a whole day lost.

We can meet them at the gate, start the day in a quiet room, start with a shorter day for a few weeks (agreed with you and reviewed together), and bring in support from outside school where it helps. Absence we have agreed as part of a plan is never fined.

Contact your child's Head of Year, a Deputy Head of Year, their form tutor or any adult in school they trust, and say the words "school anxiety". That is enough to start.

Support for families

Attendance problems always have a cause. Sometimes it is at school, sometimes at home, sometimes health. We will look at all three with you. These services help with the causes outside school.

Health

Just One Norfolk

NHS health advice for Norfolk families, including sleep, anxiety and school worries.

0300 300 0123

justonenorfolk.nhs.uk

Wellbeing

Kooth

Free, anonymous online support and counselling for young people in Norfolk.

kooth.com

SEND

Norfolk SENDIASS

Free, independent advice for parents of children with special educational needs, including attendance and EHCP (education, health and care) plans.

01603 704070

norfolksendiass.org.uk

Young carers

Caring Together

Support for children who help look after a parent, brother, sister or someone else at home who is ill or disabled. Tell your child's form tutor too; young carers get flexibility here.

caringtogether.org

Parents

YoungMinds Parents Helpline

Advice for parents worried about a child's mental health, including school anxiety.

0808 802 5544

youngminds.org.uk

Money and home

Norfolk Community Directory

Find local help with housing, food, transport and family support.

communitydirectory.norfolk.gov.uk

Who to contact

Attendance contacts

For anything about attendance, start here. Heads of Year cover anything about your child in that year group. Tap a name to email.

Attendance and support

Contact	Ring them if	Details
Attendance line	Your child is off today, or you are not sure whether to send them in (before 8.30am)	01493 661504 (option 1), cpoaattendance@cliffparkoa.co.uk
Ms L Ross	Absence, patterns, fines, attendance plans (Attendance Manager)	lross@cliffparkoa.co.uk
Ms A Waters	Special educational needs, EHCPs, school anxiety (Vice Principal and SENDCO)	awaters@cliffparkoa.co.uk
Ms D Giles	School anxiety, worries at home (wellbeing support)	dgiles@cliffparkoa.co.uk
Ms J Slack	Behaviour and student care	jslack@cliffparkoa.co.uk

Heads of Year

Year group	Head of Year	Email
Year 7	Mr D Dudley	ddudley@cliffparkoa.co.uk
Year 8	Mr E Phillips	ephillips@cliffparkoa.co.uk
Year 9	Mr R Callaby	rcallaby@cliffparkoa.co.uk
Year 10	Mr M Warnes	mwarnes@cliffparkoa.co.uk
Year 11	Mr M Harris	mharris@cliffparkoa.co.uk