Where a pupil or family needs support with attendance, it is important that the best placed person in the school works with and supports the family. Wherever possible the person should be kept consistent.
Where a pattern of absence is at risk of becoming, or becomes, problematic, schools should draw on these relationships and listen to and understand the barriers to attendance that the pupil or family is experiencing. In doing so, schools should take into consideration the sensitivity of some of the reasons for absence and understand the importance of school as a place of safety and support, working closely with multi agency to reduce barriers to accessing education.
As per the DfE ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ guidance Sept 2022, please see link, Working together to improve school attendance (publishing.service.gov.uk). The DfE have the following expectations when supporting families to improve attendance:
- Where barriers are outside of the school’s control, all partners should work together to support pupils and parents to access any support they may need voluntarily. As a minimum, this should include meeting with pupils and parents at risk of persistent or severe absence to understand barriers to being in school and agreeing actions or interventions to address them. This may include referrals to services and organisations that can provide support. These actions should be regularly discussed and reviewed together with pupils and families.
- Where absence intensifies, so should the support provided, which will require the school to work in tandem with the local authority and other relevant partners:
- If the needs and barriers are individual to the pupil this may include provision of mentoring, careers advice, college placements, 1-2-1 tuition or out of hours learning, or where appropriate an education, health and care plan or alternative provision.
- Where the needs are wider and a whole family response is more appropriate, this is likely to include a voluntary early help assessment.
In all cases, the school should monitor the impact of any intervention(s) and make adjustments where necessary in discussion with the pupil, parents and any other partners involved as part of any whole family plan or team around the family. Where interventions are failing, all parties should work together to identify the reasons why and either adjust or change the approach.
Where voluntary support has not been effective and/or has not been engaged with all schools should work with the local authority to consider other formal support such as legal sanctions and parenting orders. For further information please click here:
