Watch: just over a minute
Every day counts, the short version
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 22nd September.
The whole school so far this year
Down 0.4% on last week, when we were 91.8%. Last Friday was 90.2%, more than a point below the term so far, which is most of the difference. That 3.7% not authorised is the part we can change together fastest.
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 7 are the biggest movers this week, up from 91.5% to 92.2% and over target, which for families new to us is exactly what last week was about. Three of our five year groups are now over the line. Year 9 and Year 11 are both around 89.5%, about five days a year short of 92%. Every day in school this week moves that number.
The Friday effect
Friday is our lowest day, every week
Across England, Friday is the day most children are away from school. It is true here too. These are our whole-school figures for every school day so far this term, week by week. In each full week, Friday has been the lowest day, and absence with no reason given has been highest on Fridays and Mondays.
Some of that is real tiredness by the end of the week. A lot of it is Friday feeling optional: a long weekend, a late night on Thursday, a day that does not seem to matter as much. It matters as much as any other. A missed Friday is a missed week, because four days is not a full week, and Friday period 5 is a real lesson with real content that has to be caught up.
Here is the pattern we see every year: where a year group is at October half term is where it finishes in July. The next five weeks set the number for the year. So two asks this half term: protect Fridays, and protect these first weeks.
Whole-school attendance by day, from Arbor, 3rd to 22nd September. Bars start at 85% so the differences are easier to see. Monday 21st was our lowest day of the term so far at 87.5%.
Three things to know
Three things to know this week
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1
Year 7 are the biggest movers
Year 7 went from 91.5% to 92.2% in a week and are now over target. For families new to us, that is exactly what last week's message was about: the number moved because people looked at it and did something. Three of our five year groups are now over the line.
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2
Year 8 show what is possible
Year 8 are at 94.2%, and their lead comes almost entirely from one thing: absence with no reason given is 2%, about half of every other year group. Their illness rate is ordinary. If every year group matched Year 8 on that one figure, the whole school would be around 93%, past target, without a single poorly child being sent in. Nobody has to be superhuman.
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3
Where we are at half term is where we finish
In every year we have looked at, a year group's attendance at October half term is almost exactly where it ends up in July. Habits set now stick. Every day in school between now and Friday 23rd October keeps a point we already have, and days missed now are very hard to win back later.
Source: our own Arbor figures, 1st to 22nd September 2026.
One thing to try this week
Friday is decided on Thursday night
Try this. Think about the last time your child missed a Friday. Now think about the night before. For most families it was one of three things: a late night, a row about school that never got settled, or a weekend that quietly started a day early.
That is why the fix for Friday is not on Friday. Here is the maths first, then the plan.
The Thursday night plan
- 8pmSame bedtime as a Tuesday. Friday tiredness is mostly Thursday tiredness.
- 8pmPhone out of the bedroom, same as any school night. This one does most of the work.
- Before bedBag packed, uniform out, PE kit found. Friday morning then runs on habit, not negotiation.
- Friday 8.20amOut of the door. A cold with no temperature is a school day. Not sure? Ring us before 8.30am.
Then, at some point this week, ask one question and mean it: "What would make Fridays easier?" You might hear about a lesson, a person, or just being tired. Every one of those is something we can help with, but only once we know. If the answer is a lesson or a person, tell the form tutor. That is a fixable problem, and it is usually fixed faster than you would expect.
One more thing, said plainly because it matters. A long weekend away costs your child a full week of learning, not a day, and it cannot normally be authorised. If you are weighing it up, talk to us first.
- Thursday bedtime is the Friday plan. Decide it once, keep it every week
- Fridays finish at 3.05pm like every other day. Please save early collections for real emergencies
- If Friday is hard because of a lesson or a person, tell the form tutor. We cannot fix what we do not know about
Where to get help
- Attendance line Not sure whether to send them in, or running late on a Friday morning 01493 661504, option 1, before 8.30am, or cpoaattendance@cliffparkoa.co.uk
- Your child's form tutor If Friday is hard because of a lesson, a person or a worry enquiries@cliffparkoa.co.uk
- Head of Year If Fridays have become a pattern and you want a plan Ring the academy and ask for your child's Head of Year
Watch: just over a minute
Well enough for school? The short version
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. Our first winner was Jess in Year 10. Students with an agreed attendance plan are in the draw when they meet their own plan. Form tutors gave out 710 Resilience Tokens last week for a full week in school, or a full week of a plan, and the 428 students above have earned one every week so far.
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.ukWellbeing
Kooth
Free, anonymous online support and counselling for young people in Norfolk.
kooth.comSEND
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.ukYoung 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.orgParents
YoungMinds Parents Helpline
Advice for parents worried about a child's mental health, including school anxiety.
0808 802 5544
youngminds.org.ukMoney and home
Norfolk Community Directory
Find local help with housing, food, transport and family support.
communitydirectory.norfolk.gov.uk
Who to contactAttendance 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |