Early Help Week

School Attendance is 'Everyone’s Business'

As part of Early Help Week, SILs Attendance and Welfare team share their ‘top-tips’ for professionals on improving school attendance – and if we’re going to improve it, we need the support of everyone working with children and families.

 

The barriers to attending school can be complex.

 

The Department of Education has issued revised guidance - Working Together to Improve School Attendance to all local authorities and schools. The guidance will shortly become statutory, and it sets out a clear expectation that agencies work together to support children in overcoming any barriers to accessing education.

 

Our Top Tips for all professionals when considering school attendance

• Think about the child or young persons’ attendance in every professional conversation.
• Think about and work with the child and young person and their family to explore their relationship with education.
• Where there may be issues with attendance, take the time to listen to the child or young person and understand why this is the case, before identifying how their attendance could be improved.
• When speaking with the child, young person and their family about school attendance, consider framing the attendance in terms of days, rather than the overall percentage, as what can sound like a high percentage of attendance can still mean a lot of education has been missed. For example, ‘Charlie’s attendance currently being _% means that he has missed five days from school in two weeks, which equates to Charlie missing 35 hours of learning.’

 

Consider Attendance in Assessments

When completing an assessment for a child or young person where attendance is a concern, aim to understand the support currently being received, and where there may be gaps. Explore the following:

• What is the child’s current attendance?
• Persistent or severe absence is usually only a symptom of underlying issues for the child or young person and their family. Try to identify these issues to inform the types of support needed.
• Is the child’s mental health or wellbeing impacting on attendance?
• Is anxiety playing a part in the absence from school? If so, how can the child or young person be supported in managing this?
• If the child’s school attendance is 90% or under, what is the plan to improve this? Children or young people may be referred to as persistent absentees if their attendance at school is below 90%. If the child’s absence is 50% or under this is classified as severe absence. Long term, severe absence can have a detrimental impact of the child’s development and future life chances.
• Is the child’s behaviour impacting on their attendance and educational outcomes
• Has the child been suspended or permanently excluded from school?
• Is there a pastoral support plan or other type of place in place?
• Have you discussed the issues with the child’s school? what support strategies are being used in school?

 

Help and Support

If you become aware of a child or young person who is not on roll at a school, please notify the Children Missing Education team on 0151 233-3916 or at [email protected]

 

If a practitioner has any queries or concerns regarding a child’s absence from school, please contact the child’s school, in the first instance.

 

The Education Welfare Service can also assist with general advice and enquiries on 0151 233 3916 or alternatively at [email protected]

 

For further information or to provide feedback about Early Help Practice week please contact [email protected]