It’s almost GCSE season, and some of Warwickshire’s highest performing schools in last year’s exams have shown they also excel in another crucial measure.
The Government’s full absence and attendance figures for the most recent 2023/24 school year are out now. England’s overall absence rate - the percentage of half-days missed for all pupils - still lingers well above pre-pandemic figures, and the amount of ‘persistently absent’ pupils missing at least 10% of these half-day sessions also remains incredibly high - affecting 1 in 5 children.
When it comes to exams, this can make a huge difference. A recent Department for Education report has found that pupils who attended school nearly every day in Year 11 were almost twice as likely to achieve a Grade 5 in their English and Maths GCSEs as those who only attended 90 to 95% of the time. This means missing just 10 days of school slashes the likelihood of getting a strong pass by around 50%.
Included with the Government’s attendance figures was the absence data for each state-funded secondary school in England. We’ve looked into how schools in the Warwickshire County Council area have done, when it comes to pupils missing class for any reason.
Only schools with absence rates of 8% or lower have been included - excluding private and special schools - an outstanding achievement for any school community. Parents might notice that many were also among Warwickshire’s top performing secondary schools for the last GCSE summer exam series.
Here were the 10 local secondary schools that made the grade:
1. Lawrence Sheriff School
At the top of the list is Lawrence Sheriff, a selective boys’ secondary academy and sixth form in Rugby. It had a ‘well above average’ GCSEs-based Progress 8 score last year, one of the highest in Warwickshire. In the 2023/24 school year, it had a low overall absence rate of just 4.36%. | Google
2. King Edward VI School
King Edward VI is a selective boys’ secondary academy and sixth form in Stratford-upon-Avon, with the highest Progress 8 score of any Warwickshire secondary school last year. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 5.34%. | Google
3. Alcester Grammar School
This is a selective secondary academy and sixth form in Alcester, another high performer, with a ‘well above average’ Progress 8 score. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 5.62%. | Google
4. Stratford Girls' Grammar School
Stratford Girls' is a selective girls’ secondary academy and sixth form in Stratford-upon-Avon. Last GCSE exam season, it too had one of the highest Progress 8 score of any secondary school in the county. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 5.77%. | Google