Please see our full attendance policy here.

The wellbeing and educational progress of our pupils is our priority, and we believe that your child's regular attendance is essential for them to achieve their full potential. Lessons build on what children already know and missing one may make tomorrow's lesson more difficult. You can support your child's physical, social and mental wellbeing by ensuring they are in school every day. School absences can also interfere with your child developing the following:

• Friendships
• Social skills
• Values
• Life skills
• Cultural awareness
• Career pathways

We believe that there is a direct link between attendance and performance and that regular school attedance is the key to enabling our students to maximise the educational opportunities available to them. At Dane Court, last year's GCSE results show the following:

• Students with an average attendance of 95%+ secured an average grade of 7.3 in last year's GCSE results
• Students with an average attendance of 80%+ secured an average grade of 6.6 in last year's GCSE results 
• Students with an average attendance of 50%+ secured an average grade of 5.4 in last year's GCSE results

Meaning that good attendance accounts for almost 2 grades worth of improvements.

There are 190 school days a year which leaves 175 non-school days for:

• Family holidays
• Medical appointments
• Visiting friends and family

Children are required by law to attend school 190 days per year. The Government states that every pupil's attendance should be at least 95% and here at Dane Court we strive for this to be even higher for our students. We understand that there are many reasons why students may miss school and we work hard with students and their families to find a variety of solutions to the problem of absenteeism.

If you have concerns regarding your child's attendance, then we are here to help, support and provide advice. We ask that you contact the Attendance Officer, Mrs Claire Sayer by emailing csayer@danecourt.kent.sch.uk or call the office on 01843 864941 as soon as possible, so we can begin working together to implement a plan of action.

If your child has special educational needs, this can lead to them sometimes not finding school straightforward or as easy as they would like. We understand this and want to work with your child, and with you, on helping your child feel confident to explain any concerns. We can then work together to help provide reassurance and support to ensure their regular attendance.

Please see our frequently asked questions page for more advice on specific areas.