National context: next steps
Prior to the pandemic school attendance across the country was improving. In 2008 absence was at 6.4%, by 2018 this was at record low of 4.3%. In 2015 a Persistent Absence (PA) level was introduced. This remained steady from 2015 until 2018, when it began to rise. In 2019 both overall absence and persistent absence began to increase. Overall absence reached 4.93% and PA at its highest was 13.14%. The next two years saw unprecedented levels of absenteeism due to the pandemic. This resulted in a return to a level of overall absence similar to 2008 and a persistent absence rate of 23.59%.
In May 2022, the DfE published the guidance Working Together to Improve School Attendance and Summary Table of Responsibilities for School Attendance.
The guidance gives a clear message that improving attendance should not be the responsibility of one organisation. It should be achieved by working collaboratively and addressing the root cause of the absence.
Improving attendance is everyone’s business. The barriers to accessing education are wide and complex, both within and beyond the school gates. They are often specific to individual pupils and families. The foundation of securing good attendance is that school is a calm, orderly, safe, and supportive environment where all pupils want to be and are keen and ready to learn. (Working Together to Improve School Attendance).
The guidance provides a framework:
Expect
Everyone - pupil, parent, school and other agencies involved should all have the same expectation for attending school. The culture across a school and the local authority should be that attending school is achievable for everyone. Attending every day is the expected aspiration.
Monitor
Early intervention is key and this is possible through early identification of non- attendance. Patterns of attendance for individuals as well as cohorts of children will help schools stop absences becoming entrenched by putting in the right strategies and getting the right people involved early on.
Listen and understand
There is always a reason for non-attendance. Providing possibilities for parents and young people to talk about the reasons in and out of school, will allow all parties to work together to come up with the best solutions that will have the biggest impact.
Facilitate support
Early intervention to facilitate change, through early assessment and identification of appropriate provision in and out of school, will have a positive impact on removing the barriers to attending. Support should not only be around the child in school but around the whole family especially when there are wider issues and ones that can impact on other children in the family.
Formulise support
Where parents are not engaging with the support offered or are uncooperative, all partners must work together to explain the consequences of this, whilst support continues. Partners should consider who may be the right person to pursue this to try to establish good relationships and trust. Parenting Orders and Education Supervision Orders may be considered at this stage.
Enforce
Where all strategies have been exhausted, enforcement may be the only option that remains to protect the right of the child to an education. The school and partners must be confident that there are no other strategies to try.