At North Hertfordshire College, we encourage all our students to aim high 🌟
One of the key things that can impact what a student achieves in their final grades is attendance.
Our teams closely monitor all students’ attendance and punctuality to keep an eye out for any trends or cause for concern. If your young person’s attendance falls below our expectations, then we’ll make contact with you to make you aware. It is important that you young person regularly attends college and arrives on-time, both so they can get the most out of their NHC experience and also to meet the legal requirements for young people.
What impact does attendance have on students’ grades?
At North Hertfordshire College, we’ve seen a clear relationship between the grades our students achieve and their attendance of lessons. Some benefits of good attendance include:
- Improved performance in exams
- Stronger and maintained friendships
- Better understanding of course content through lesson continuity
- Developing good habits for adult life
- Good references for employers or universities about a student’s reliability
How can I support my young person’s attendance?
⭐ Follow NHC’s guidelines and attendance policy
You can find the full details of NHC’s policies on the Parent Hub page, including how to tell us if your young person won’t be attending college.
✉ Check-in about assignments and homework
Regularly ask your young person about their assignments to check they understand what they need to do and when the deadlines are for submitting their work.
💡 Take an active interest
Stay involved with your young person’s experiences at college by asking how their day was and about any successes or struggles they’re going through.
💭 Try to identify any potential sources of anxiety
If your young person frequently appears upset or reluctant to go to college and can’t tell you why, try to contact their tutor and/or NHC’s Student Services team to talk about potential sources.
📅 Keep updated on college events and announcements
We have regular points throughout the academic year to update you on how your young person is getting on at college. By taking part in these events, you can help your young person take any actions forward to achieve even more in their NHC journey.
🤒 Try to limit the amount of time your young person misses due to medical appointments or illness
Where possible, please avoid scheduling doctor’s appointments during your young person’s in-college days. Allow your young person to only stay home in the case of contagious or severe illness.
🎈 Schedule family events with your young person’s college schedule in mind
When it comes to planning family trips, holidays, or celebrations, please try to organise these for weekends or half-term breaks. In the case of family emergencies, unexpected trips, or other immovable events, please contact your young person’s tutor as far in advance as possible so they can provide cover work to keep your young person up-to-date with their peers.
🍎 Promote the importance of education
Help your young person understand how the experiences they have at NHC are preparing them for their next steps. Whether they’re planning to start work, become an apprentice, or go to university, the skills and knowledge they develop at NHC is essential in preparing for the future.
What happens if my young person doesn’t attend college enough?
If a student’s attendance drops below 90%, then their tutor or another member of the College team will be in contact to let you know.
If there’s no improvement after this initial chat, then we may require you to come into college for more formal discussions. We’ll then work with you to come up with a solution and provide support to get your young person regularly joining us in the classroom again.
For more information about our attendance policy and the processes we follow, please check out our downloadable parent guide on the Parent Hub.