Effective Interventions

Norfolk's Staged Intervention pathway for the management of school attendance is part of the County Councils' Strategic approach to addressing absence from school: Attendance is Everyone's Responsibility (PDF, 1 MB). The aim of the guidance is to provide a defined pathway for schools, families and all other professionals to support and enable them to set clear expectations about attendance, to be able to identify and support vulnerable groups and respond to attendance concerns at the earliest opportunity. 

This staged intervention model is designed in accordance with the requirements placed upon schools, Local Authorities and other agencies as outlined in the Department for Education Guidance Working together to improve school attendance (opens new window). It would be read alongside the NSCP Continuum of Need Guidance relating to integrated multi-agency support for the needs of children, young people and families in Norfolk.

To refer cases for children with poor attendance to the Attendance Team for consideration of a parental prosecution, there is an expectation that the staged intervention model will be followed. However, where there is evidence of a lack of parental engagement and continued poor attendance, the referral for consideration of legal action should not be delayed.

Key Features of Effective Intervention

All pupils

• Promote the understanding of trauma and attachment aware practice within schools and how this can impact on a child or young person's attendance.
• Consistent and restorative approaches to addressing behaviours that challenge.
• A strong focus on relational practice.

Targeted Groups

• Early Identification
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Engaging with families
• Multi-agency and community sector response academic engagement and support  

All Professionals

• Communities of Practice including Attendance Surgeries, Attendance networks, access to Attendance Duty/Advice, Inclusive school leadership & whole school approaches. 

Our vision for effective practice in the management of attendance

• Child's voice is at the centre of all support and interventions
• All plans seek to identify and tackle the root causes of absence at the earliest opportunity
• Family network and trauma informed approaches are embedded in practice
• The link between school attendance and safeguarding is clearly understood
• Through clear signposting schools, children and their families have access to appropriate support making full use of Voluntary & Community Sector partners
• We continue to consistently apply the full range of parental responsibility measures where required
• Where is a multi-agency response for the most vulnerable learners where interventions have not supported them to access a full-time education

Language

The discourse and terminology relating to absence from school has evolved over time. Working Together to Improve School Attendance provides us with clear definitions of persistent and severe absence and the associated impact this can have on children and their families. Locally we would discourage all practitioners from the use of broad terms such as school refusal, avoidance or phobia.

Care must be taken not to attribute cause or motivations which are unknown or misleading and can lead to negative reinforcement. For example, the term 'refusal' is increasingly seen as unhelpful as it suggests a wilfulness on the part of an anxious pupil which can obscure the underlying cause. 

Terminology that is more specific should only be used to describe a pupil's absence where a thorough assessment has taken place to determine what the root causes and barriers to attending school are. Subsequent planning should seek to respond specifically to the individual needs of the child rather than over-reliance on a generalised term and generic responses to absence. 

Supporting guidance

• The information included within A Staged Intervention Pathway for Promoting Good School Attendance (PDF, 523 KB) is designed to complement national and local guidance and provide a framework for managing school attendance.  Detailed guidance and advice on specific issues can be accessed in the section, A Staged Approach to Managing School Attendance.
• Just One Norfolk: Provides a range of resources for families, schools and other professionals on a wide range of issues related to children's health, wellbeing and development including specific information about school life.