For children to master essential academic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic, taking full advantage of the educational opportunities offered to them is a must.
Part of this is attending school as often as possible, with a recent Department for Education report showing just how much absences can add up - even in the primary school years. It found that pupils who attended school nearly every day in Year 6 were 1.3 times more likely to meet the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths compared to peers who only attended 90-95% of the time. This means missing just 10 days of school cuts their chances by around 25%.
But England’s attendance rates have room for improvement. The Government’s latest absence and attendance figures, covering the full 2023/24 school year, show that the overall absence rate - the percentage of half-days missed for all pupils - sits at 7.1%, still well above pre-pandemic figures. One in five pupils were also ‘persistently absent’, meaning they missed at least 10% of these half-day sessions.
We’ve taken a look at how the more than 200 primary schools across Warwickshire stacked up, when it came to pupils missing class for any reason. Using this data, we’ve then created a league table celebrating the local state-funded primaries (including infant and junior schools) which have kept absences below 4% - a fantastic achievement for any school community.
Here are the 13 which made the grade.
1. Clinton Primary School
At the top of the list is this local authority-maintained primary school, in Kenilworth. It has a roll size of about 215, and a notably higher proportion of pupils meeting the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths than both the local and national averages. In the 2023/24 school year, it had a low overall absence rate of just 3.1%. | Google
2. St Gregory's Catholic Primary School
Next up is St Gregory’s, a Catholic primary academy in Stratford-upon-Avon. Another school with a high proportion of its pupils meeting the Government’s academic targets, it has a roll size of about 208. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 3.2%. | Google
3. Temple Grafton CofE Primary School
This is an Anglican primary academy in the village of Temple Grafton, which has about 107 pupils - and also boasts an above average academic performance. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 3.4%. | Google
4. St Mary's Catholic Primary School
St Mary’s is a Catholic primary academy in Henley-in-Arden. It has a roll size of about 94, and was one of just a handful of state primary schools last year to have 100% of its Year 6 pupils meet Government performance standards. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 3.5%. | Google