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The Whitby High School values every individual, promoting personal, social, and spiritual development through its core values: commitment, inclusivity, kindness, and respect. The school aims to enable learners to prepare for adult life, achieve their full potential, care for everyone, and enjoy education.

To achieve these goals, the school has established attendance monitoring procedures, recognizing that reducing absence and persistent absence is vital for promoting children's welfare, ensuring access to education, and succeeding in school. The school's attendance policy is driven by the DFE attendance guidance and Section 444 of the Education Act 1996, which states that parents are responsible for ensuring their child attends school regularly.

The school expects students to have an attendance rate above 97% and makes no apology for raising attendance issues with parents/carers. Attendance procedures involve recording attendance daily, using correct codes, and submitting information to the school office via Class Charts. The school employs strategies to encourage good attendance and punctuality, investigates absences, and liaises with parents/carers.

There are two types of absence: authorized and unauthorized. Parents/carers must inform the school of absences, stating the reason, and the school has a duty to safeguard all pupils. The attendance system is based on efficiency, with concerns progressed through procedures in an expedient manner, offering support to those who require it. Regular attendance meetings occur, and data is discussed weekly to ensure cases are acted upon swiftly.

Families may receive letters or be subject to further action, such as support from designated staff, and persistent absence without good reason may result in referral to the Local Authority for legal action. The school uses attendance data to find patterns and trends of persistent and severe absence, holding regular meetings with parents of vulnerable or persistently/severely absent pupils to discuss attendance and engagement.