About this toolkit

This Toolkit has been produced by Norfolk County Council's Attendance Team. It has been devised to help schools and other education settings maintain high levels of school attendance through the development of a rigorous, whole-school approach that exceeds statutory requirements.

The Toolkit should be used in conjunction with the  Department for Education (DfE) Working together to improve school attendance:  Guidance for maintained schools, academies, independent schools, and local authorities along with Summary table of responsibilities for school attendance.

Who is the Toolkit for?

The principles of the Toolkit can be applied to all education settings including independent schools and alternative education providers. It is intended for use by Head teachers, Attendance Leads, Academy Trusts and Governors to support the development and review of a whole school approach to attendance.

As part of the County Councils' Strategic approach to addressing absence from school: Attendance is Everyone's Responsibility (PDF, 1 MB), the toolkit is also designed to provide guidance to any professional working with children and families.  It includes guidance on early intervention and effective planning as well as formal support options where required in response to persistent and severe absence.

Background

Attending school regularly will ensure that children and young people reach their maximum life chances and academic potential. It is everyone's responsibility to promote good school attendance. When children and young people attend school, they are given access to new experiences, new opportunities to learn and develop new skills. These are not limited to academic skills, but social, emotional and behavioural development too. Being in school with their peers will enhance their life skills in making friends, developing confidence and self-esteem, teamwork, inclusion and learning to be resilient.

Pupils who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and not reach their potential in exams. According to the Department for Education (DfE) research indicates that good attendance at school is a prerequisite to pupils' attainment, wellbeing and wider development. The pupils with the highest attainment at the end of key stage 2 (KS2) and key stage 4 (KS4) have higher rates of attendance over the key stage compared to those with the lowest attainment.  At KS2, pupils not meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths had an overall absence rate of 4.7%, compared to 3.5% among those meeting the expected standard.

At KS4, pupils not achieving grade 9 to 4 in English and maths had an overall absence rate of 8.8%, compared to 5.2% among those achieving grade 4.

Schools need to be aware of the factors that can have an impact on the initiatives they adopt to deal with poor school attendance. These include parental and pupil engagement, the age of the pupil, home circumstances and geographic location. It is important that individual schools tailor their attendance procedures to suit their school community; evidence shows that needs-led approaches are the most effective when dealing with poor school attendance.