Some of West Yorkshire’s highest-performing secondary schools have demonstrated that they also shine in another measure - supporting strong attendance.
The Government has now released full absence and attendance figures for 2023/24 school year. Across the country, one in five pupils were labelled ‘persistently absent’, meaning they missed at least 10% of half-day sessions in class. On top of that, the overall absence rate - the percentage of half-days missed for all pupils - remains considerably higher than before the pandemic.
Another new Department for Education report highlights just how much of a difference missing school can make to pupil attainment. It found those 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, compared to those who attended 90 to 95% of the time. This means missing just 10 days of school cuts 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 taken a look at how West Yorkshire’s more than 130 secondary schools did - excluding private and special schools - across the Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield council areas.
These schools have exceptionally low rates of absences for any reason, a particularly impressive feat considering that some local schools have overall absence rates nearing 20%. It is worth noting that while middle schools have been excluded, we have included all-through schools if pupils sit their GCSEs there - but their attendance rates may also include primary pupils.
Here were the 15 West Yorkshire schools which came out on top:
1. Heckmondwike Grammar School
At the top of the list is this selective secondary academy and sixth form in Heckmondwike, in the Kirklees borough. It also boasts an exceptional academic performance, with one of the highest GCSEs-based Progress 8 scores in West Yorkshire last year. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an extremely low absence rate of about 3.7%. | Google
2. Abbey Grange Church of England Academy
Abbey Grange is also a high performer, an Anglican secondary academy and sixth form in Leeds. It had a ‘well above average’ Progress 8 score in the last academic year. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of just 5.04%. | Google
3. Mount St Mary's Catholic High School
Another Leeds-based school, Mount St Mary’s is a local authority-maintained Catholic secondary school with a ‘well above average’ Progress 8 score. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of just 5.23%. | Google
4. Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School
Cardinal Heenan is a local authority-maintained Catholic secondary school. Again it is in Leeds, and is another ‘well above average’ performer. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 5.65%. | Google