Watch: under a minute
Where we stand, the short version
England 94.6%. Cliff Park 91.1%. What the gap is made of, and what 17 days can do about it. Works with the sound off.
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 29th September, and for the last week, Wednesday to Tuesday.
The whole school so far this year
Down 0.3% on last week. The week just gone, Wednesday 23rd to Tuesday 29th, was 90.2%, our lowest full week so far, with 4.1% unauthorised. England's secondary schools opened the year at 94.6% with 2.4% unauthorised. The gap between us and the country is almost entirely the orange box.
Bars start at 80% so the differences are easier to see. Year 7 and Year 8 are over target. Year 10 slipped just under this week at 91.6%. Year 9 are our concern at 88.6%, about seven days a year short of target, and last week alone Year 9 were at 87.2%. Year 11 are steady at 89.9%. Last week, Wednesday to Tuesday, the whole school was 90.2%: Year 8 93.4%, Year 7 91.3%, Year 10 90.1%, Year 11 89.8%, Year 9 87.2%.
Worth knowing
After 9.00am, it counts as a whole session missed
School starts at 8.30am and the register closes at 9.00am. A student who walks in at 8.45am is marked late, which we would rather not see, but they are marked present. A student who walks in at 9.05am is marked absent for the whole morning, even though they are in the building and in their lessons. That is the national rule (it is the U code, if you have seen it in Arbor), not one we chose, and it is the same in every school in England.
It matters because a handful of late mornings adds up faster than people expect. Two 9.05am arrivals a week is a full day of absence on your child's record, every week, and it goes into the percentage that we send you and that follows them to college applications.
So if the morning has gone wrong, do not give up on it. 8.55am is present. Ring us on the way if you are going to be close, and we will make sure the register is right.
- Aim for 8.20am. The gates close at 8.30am and breakfast in the Diner runs from 8.00am
- Running late? 8.59am is still present. 9.01am is not. Keep going
- If a medical appointment means arriving after 9.00am, tell us in advance and bring the appointment card. That is authorised, not a U
- Persistent 9.00am-plus arrivals: talk to the Head of Year before it becomes a pattern. There is usually something simple behind it
Where to get help
- Attendance line Running late, or an appointment that will take your child past 9.00am 01493 661504, option 1, or cpoaattendance@cliffparkoa.co.uk
The Friday effect
Fridays: four weeks, four dips
Last Friday, 25th September, was 89.8%, half a point down on the Thursday, and the four Fridays so far average 90.6% against 91.1% for the term. Absence with no reason given is highest on Fridays, 4.4% against 3.8% for the term.
So the message stands. Friday feels optional to some families, and it is not. Four days is not a full week, and Friday period 5 has to be caught up like any other lesson. Below the chart are five things that families who protect Fridays tell us they do.
Whole-school attendance by day, from Arbor, 3rd to 25th September. Bars start at 85% so the differences are easier to see. This week so far: Monday 90.7%, Tuesday 90.6%.
One thing to try this week
Five ways to make Friday stick
Different families, different fixes. Pick the one that fits yours.
Five things that work
- Thursday 8pmSame bedtime as a Tuesday, phone out of the bedroom. Most Friday absence is decided on Thursday night, and this one does most of the work.
- ThursdayBag packed, uniform out, PE kit found, before anyone goes upstairs. Friday morning then runs on habit, not negotiation.
- Friday 8.00amFree breakfast in the Diner. Toast, cereal and a drink from 8.00am. A reason to be in early, and a calmer start than a rushed one at home.
- Any FridaySomething to look forward to after school. A fixed Friday treat that only happens if the day happened: a takeaway, a film, a friend round. Simple, and it works.
- This weekAsk one question and mean it: "What would make Fridays easier?" A lesson, a person, tiredness, all of those we can help with, but only once we know. If the answer is a lesson or a person, tell the form tutor.
And the one to avoid: the long weekend. A Friday off to travel costs your child a week of learning, not a day, because four days is not a full week, and it cannot normally be authorised. If you are weighing one up, talk to us first.
- A cold with no temperature is a school day, Friday included. Not sure? Ring us before 8.30am
- Fridays finish at 3.05pm like every other day. Please save early collections for real emergencies
Where to get help
- Attendance line Not sure whether to send them in on a Friday morning 01493 661504, option 1, before 8.30am
- 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
Three things to know
Three things to know this week
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1
The gap is not illness. It is the unexplained days
Our authorised absence, 5.1%, is close to the national picture for the time of year. Our unauthorised absence, 3.8%, is well above the 2.4% England's secondary schools opened with. That is the whole gap between 91.1% and 94.6%, and it is about 27 students a day. A phone call turns an unauthorised mark into a conversation, and often into help.
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2
Year 9, we need you
Year 9 are at 88.6% for the year and were 87.2% last week, the lowest of any year group in any week so far. Year 9 is the year that decides options and sets the habits for Year 10 and 11. If your child is in Year 9, this edition is for you most of all.
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3
17 school days to half term
Friday 23rd October is the last day. In every year we have looked at, where a year group stands at half term is where it finishes in July. A student at 90% today who is in every one of the next 17 days will be at about 93.5% by half term. That is the difference between below target and comfortably above it, in three and a half weeks.
Sources: Department for Education, Pupil attendance in schools, week commencing 7th September 2026, and our own Arbor figures to 29th September.
Three mornings, three decisions
What would you do?
Three mornings every family recognises, and what the table above says about each.
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1
Runny nose, bit of a cough, no temperature. Does not fancy it
Send them in. A cold without a fever is a school day, and most children feel better once they are busy. Tissues in the bag, a drink, and a word with the form tutor if it gets worse. If it does, we will ring you. Marked present.
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2
Was sick at 9pm last night. Seems fine this morning
Keep them home today and tomorrow. The rule is 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea, to protect the other 773 students, and it is the same in every school. Ring us before 8.30am on 01493 661504, option 1, and tell us. That is illness we know about, so it is authorised and it is never fined.
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3
Tearful, says they feel sick, but only on school days
This is the one to ring us about rather than decide alone. Feeling sick on school days and fine at weekends is usually anxiety, not a bug, and it is real and common. 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 plan together beats a whole day lost.
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. Last week's winner was Casey in Year 10 RBR. Students with an agreed attendance plan are in the draw when they meet their own plan. Form tutors award a Resilience Token for every full week in school, or every full week of a plan.
Tomorrow evening: Year 6 families welcome
Year 6 Open Evening
Come and see Cliff Park for yourself: tour the academy with our students, meet the teachers, try out lessons in every subject and hear from the Principal about what makes us different. No need to book, just turn up.
If you know a family with a child in Year 6, please pass this on.
Visit www.cliffparkoa.co.uk
New: book your place now
Open Week: tours of the academy
Open Evening shows you Cliff Park at its most polished. Open Week shows you an ordinary Tuesday. Every morning from Monday 5th to Friday 9th October we are running a short tour from 9.15am to 9.45am: a walk through our classrooms while lessons are happening, a chance to see the academy in action and to ask questions.
Places are limited to 20 people each day, so please book. You will get an email confirming your place.
Open to prospective families and to current parents and carers who would like a look inside.
Takes one minute. 20 places a day. Confirmation by email.
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 |