The latest figures available are from the school year 2024/25, where La Mare, on the verge of closure, saw attendance of 82.9%.
In the post-Covid period the best record it had achieved was 84.9% in 2021/22.
The next-worst record was held by Les Varendes, but that had seen a notable uptick in attendance in the school year, taking its statistics from 83.7% to 86.8.
Les Beaucamps had an 87.8% attendance record and the best performer was St Sampson’s High, which has consistently led the way. Attendance there was 89.7%, its best result since Covid.
‘We want every family to know that if something is getting in the way of their child being in school, we want to help solve it, together,’ said its principal Vicky Godley.
‘We know there are many reasons why a young person might want to start skipping school, and sometimes the parents might not even know that’s happening. We are committed to communicating with families, and in return we’d ask families to have early conversations with us if they notice attendance start to dip. If we have a conversation early, we can often find a solution before it becomes a pattern.’
Other issues of concern for teachers include taking holidays in term time.
‘We completely understand how expensive family holidays have become and how tempting it can be to travel during term-time when the savings are so significant. But in primary school especially, learning builds on itself day by day, so even short absences – two weeks here, a week there – can leave gaps that are hard to close, particularly if it happens several times across the year,’ said Alison Elliott, head teacher of La Mare de Carteret Primary School.
‘We’re not trying to make that decision harder for families – we just want parents to have the full picture before they book, and to know we’re always happy to talk it through with them.
‘Attending primary school every day is one of the most vital foundations for a child’s learning, social development and overall wellbeing.’
The primary school with the best recent attendance record is the small Catholic school St Mary and St Michael, which has recorded 95.5% attendance for the past two years.
The worst-performing is fellow Catholic establishment Notre Dame, which has not achieved 94% since Covid.