What Can Schools Do to Improve Attendance?
I’m sitting in a 5 ***** hotel in Menorca, drinking a coffee while my wife indulges in the Spa.
The Spa is a beautiful cave sitting under the hotel - possibly a cistern that protected Cuitadella from drought. I tried it yesterday, and the photos were scary enough for me to swap from beer to whiskey and tapas to salad. Data!
Data talks in my world. Sadly, this is not a world my wife likes to share.
We have just had a heated exchange about SEND and attendance in which she sided with Ofsted and I claimed Ofsted had no data on what works with improving attendance, nor indeed what attendance levels to expect for particular groups of students.
My riposte was that a school that understood its SEND progress data could wipe the floor with Ofsted, provided their SEND progress was good.
She countered with her experience that mainstream schools are rarely on top of their SEND progress data, or SEND attendance data and never bother to analyse it by different SEN need.
I parried by agreeing - such schools deserved to be sunk by battleship Ofsted. Peace, enough.
But this peace offering buttered no parsnips, and covered no tuna salad in olive oil and balsamic sauce. No. Her claim was that, even if SEND progress was good, poor SEND attendance would indicate poor leadership, or a behaviour policy which was alienating SEND students, or both.
She offered the truism that, no matter how great your Progress 8, if your attendance was better, your Progress 8 would be better. And, theoretically, that makes sense. But what if my attendance is 93%, but my Progress 8 +0.3 and the school down the road has attendance of 96% and P8 of +0.01? Should Ofsted be allowed to spank me if my progress data is great?
My data obsession is charming in small doses, but out in the real world, like Elon Musk, it is a liability. Apparently.
So, it’s time to find some research. The answer to most things.
How can you improve attendance?
NotebookLM and Using Evidence
For those of you who don’t know about NotebookLM, I’m about to change your life. This is not an exaggeration.
My Case Study
I went to the DfE and downloaded every document I could find about behaviour and attendance.
Those that weren’t in PDF, I copied and converted.
This gave me lots of links to every EEF document on the same topics, which I could download and convert.
16 documents in total.
Then I uploaded them all to NotebookLM, which will cope with up to 50 documents.
This is where it gets very exciting. And you can do this with anything - my example just happens to be attendance.
Instead of wandering off all over the world wide web, or hallucinating like ChatGPT, NotebookLM focuses on just the documents you upload.
What it gives you is as kosher as a tuna salad. Better than that, it adds the balsamic and the olive oil, by which I mean the sources. At the end of each statement it gives you a number, which is a hyperlink to the source - the documents you provided. (The numbers are copied here, but not the hyperlinks, I’m afraid).
I asked it for the most effective strategies for improving school attendance and the key challenges schools might face while implementing them:
Effective Strategies for Improving School Attendance
1. A "whole-school" approach to attendance, which involves close collaboration between school leadership, staff, pupils, and parents.
School leadership should convey a clear message that good attendance is a top priority and explain how it's crucial for pupils' attainment, well-being, and future success [1-6].
This approach also emphasises the importance of school as a safe and supportive environment where students can thrive [7, 8].
2. Robust data analysis to identify attendance trends and tailor interventions to specific pupils or groups.
Schools need to monitor attendance data frequently, identify pupils at risk of persistent absence, and work with parents to address the root causes of absenteeism [3, 9-17].
This may involve providing tailored praise and encouragement for good attendance, as well as follow-up and support after absences [18].
3. Establishing a welcoming and positive school culture that fosters respectful relationships between staff, pupils, and families.
Building trust and open communication is key to encouraging good attendance [1, 4, 7, 19-21].
This may involve using a restorative approach, which focuses on repairing harm and building relationships to reduce conflict and keep students in mainstream education [22].
4. Clear communication of attendance expectations and policies.
Schools should ensure parents and pupils understand the importance of regular attendance and the consequences of absenteeism [2, 14, 16, 23-27].
This may include using a variety of communication methods like letters, emails, text messages, and face-to-face meetings [2, 21, 25, 28-30]. (The EEF has a good study on how to increase attendance via text).
5. Targeted interventions to address the specific barriers to attendance.
Schools can provide additional support, including mentoring programs, mental health resources, and assistance for young carers [11, 31-35].
Schools might also consider adjusting practices and policies, such as uniform requirements or transport arrangements, to better accommodate students' needs [36].
6. Working in partnership with external agencies, such as local authorities, social services, and health services.
Schools should collaborate with other agencies to address out-of-school barriers to attendance and provide holistic support for families [10, 31, 32, 35, 37-50].
Key Challenges Facing Schools
1. Securing parental engagement.
Some parents may not fully understand the importance of regular attendance or may face challenges in supporting their child's attendance [51-53].
Schools might face difficulties gaining parents' cooperation and commitment to attendance improvement strategies, especially if traditional methods like parent meetings have proven ineffective [51, 52].
2. Limited resources.
Schools may lack the staff, funding, or training to implement comprehensive attendance strategies [23, 54-56].
This can make it challenging to provide individualized support for students and families and to engage in effective data analysis and monitoring.
3. Addressing complex and multifaceted barriers to attendance.
Persistent absence can be caused by a range of factors, including illness, family issues, bullying, mental health concerns, and special educational needs [12, 32, 49, 54, 57].
It can be difficult for schools to address these complex and interconnected issues without sufficient support from other agencies.
4. Balancing supportive and punitive approaches.
While it's important to build a positive school culture, schools also need to enforce attendance expectations and take legal action in some cases [24, 58-62].
Finding the right balance between supportive and punitive measures can be challenging, especially when working with families facing significant difficulties.
5. Maintaining consistent implementation of attendance policies and practices.
Ensuring that all staff members are trained and committed to upholding attendance expectations can be challenging [9, 52, 55, 63-65]. It is crucial to establish clear procedures and to monitor implementation to ensure consistency and effectiveness.
No Excuses
Whinging to Ofsted about my problems is just going to wave a giant flag at them, with the words ‘Ineffective Leadership’ emblazoned on it like a heraldic dragon being speared by St George.
But, NotebookLM to the rescue. Give me some solutions to these problems.
Here are some ways to overcome key challenges facing schools and attendance, presented in order of cost.
Why not use it as a checklist to audit your current approach to improving attendance?
Challenge 1: Securing Parental Engagement
Free Strategies
Build Relationships: Schools should prioritise building positive relationships with parents.
This can involve clear, consistent communication about school expectations and values, and a welcoming atmosphere that encourages parents to feel comfortable approaching staff with concerns12345.
Data Sharing: Schools should regularly share individual student attendance data with parents, framing absences in terms of lessons missed rather than abstract percentages6.
This can help parents understand the concrete impact of absences on their child’s learning.
Highlight Social Benefits: Communication with parents should emphasise the broader social and developmental benefits of school attendance, such as building friendships and developing life skills, in addition to academic progress567.
Clear Guidance on Illness: Schools should provide clear, consistent guidance to parents on when children are too ill to attend, drawing on resources like the NHS guidance "Is my child too ill for school?"8910.
This can reduce unnecessary absences due to parental uncertainty.
Low-Cost Strategies
Targeted Communication: Use low-cost communication tools like text messages or emails to send personalized reminders and updates to parents4111213.
Virtual Meetings: Offer virtual parent meetings or workshops to make it easier for parents to participate, especially those with busy schedules or transportation challenges14.
Medium-Cost Strategies
Parent Workshops: Develop workshops or programs, like the "Parent Academy" model, that educate parents about the curriculum and provide tools for supporting their child's learning at home151617.
(I should point out this improved engagement but led to no improvement in maths or reading progress - the whole point of the intervention. In other words, this is a way to increase engagement, but may not improve progress).
Home Visits: For families with persistent attendance issues, consider conducting home visits to understand barriers and build relationships18.
Expensive Strategies
Family Support Workers: Consider employing or contracting family support workers who can work directly with families to address complex needs and connect them to appropriate resources1619.
Challenge 2: Limited Resources
Free Strategies
Data Analysis: Prioritise effective use of existing attendance data to identify patterns and target interventions.
Train existing staff to analyse data and share findings with teachers and other relevant staff20212223....
Peer Support: Encourage sharing of best practices and resources among schools within a district or region26272829.
Low-Cost Strategies
Professional Development: Provide targeted professional development for staff on effective attendance strategies and data analysis, using free or low-cost online resources or partnering with other schools329303132.
Medium-Cost Strategies
Software and Technology: Invest in attendance tracking and communication software that can streamline data analysis, automate reminders, and facilitate communication with parents3334.
Expensive Strategies
Additional Staff: Allocate funding to hire dedicated attendance officers or pastoral support staff who can provide individualized support to families and coordinate interventions16193335.
Challenge 3: Addressing Complex Barriers
Free Strategies
Collaboration and Referrals: Establish strong partnerships with other agencies (e.g., social services, mental health providers, housing support) and develop clear referral pathways to ensure families access needed support2193637....
In-School Support: Provide in-school support mechanisms, such as mentoring, counseling, or peer support groups, to address emotional, social, or behavioral barriers to attendance37394243....
Low-Cost Strategies
Flexible Learning Options: Explore flexible learning options, such as part-time timetables or online learning, for students facing significant barriers to full-time attendance due to health, family, or other challenges474849.
Medium-Cost Strategies
Wrap-Around Services: Partner with community organisations to provide wrap-around services, such as after-school programs or transportation assistance, to address barriers outside the school's direct control50.
Expensive Strategies
Specialised Programs: Develop or invest in specialized programs for students with specific needs, such as those experiencing homelessness, trauma, or chronic illness515253.
Challenge 4: Balancing Supportive and Punitive Approaches
Free Strategies
Positive School Culture: Cultivate a positive school culture that emphasizes the importance of attendance and provides a welcoming and supportive environment154555657.
Clear Expectations and Consequences: Clearly communicate attendance expectations and the consequences of unexcused absences to both students and parents, using a graduated system of interventions358596061.
Low-Cost Strategies
Restorative Approaches: Use restorative practices to address attendance issues, focusing on repairing harm and building relationships rather than solely relying on punishment43.
(Restorative approaches to behaviour simply don’t work - look at the schools who have had training from Paul Dix and track their progress 8 - no positive impact. But attendance is not lesson disruption, and a restorative approach makes a lot more sense).
Medium-Cost Strategies
Attendance Contracts: Use attendance contracts as a formal agreement between the school, parents, and students to outline specific steps for improving attendance, including support services and consequences62636465.
Expensive Strategies
Legal Intervention: As a last resort, engage in legal interventions, such as fines or court orders, for cases of chronic and unexcused absences where all other efforts have been exhausted36626667....
Challenge 5: Maintaining Consistent Implementation
Free Strategies
Clear Policies and Procedures: Develop clear, written attendance policies and procedures that are easily accessible to all staff and regularly reviewed and updated20245861....
Leadership and Accountability: Ensure strong leadership from the designated attendance champion and establish systems of accountability for staff to ensure consistent application of policies23767778.
Low-Cost Strategies
Regular Training: Provide regular training for all staff on attendance policies, procedures, and effective intervention strategies, reinforcing expectations and addressing any inconsistencies in implementation20303132....
Staff Collaboration: Encourage regular communication and collaboration among staff members involved in attendance management, such as teachers, attendance officers, and pastoral support staff, to share information and strategies545980.
Medium-Cost Strategies
Data Monitoring and Feedback: Utilize attendance tracking systems to monitor implementation of policies and practices, providing regular feedback to staff and identifying areas for improvement20212223....
Expensive Strategies
External Audits: Consider periodic external audits of attendance policies and practices to ensure compliance and identify areas for improvement [This strategy is not mentioned in the provided sources].
In my next post I am going to ask NotebookLM to use the documents to write an attendance policy which helps to improve attendance. Based on the research.
Data talks.
This is brilliant. I look forward to the policy. What works for improving attendance has often felt like “opinion” masquerading as “fact”. Thanks Dom!