Multi-agency approach can tackle post-Covid school attendance falls

In an article published by Policy@Manchester, Professor Caroline Bond highlights new research, commissioned by a local authority in the north-west of England and conducted via The University of Manchester's Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology, to develop good practice guidelines for improving school attendance rates.

The project included meetings with stakeholder groups which identified that “a lack of understanding of school attendance difficulties, for example, perceiving non-attendance as the pupil's choice or within the control of the family, meant that professionals could be slower to identify and intervene for pupils at risk.”

Professor Bond continues: “There were also different understandings reported about whether attendance difficulties constituted a special educational need, and were therefore the responsibility of the SEND co-ordinator, or whether they were the responsibility of an attendance lead, resulting in inconsistent practice and oversight between educational settings.”

A stakeholder group supported by the research team produced a local authority guidance document with sections clarifying schools’ responsibilities for supporting attendance collaboratively with local authority attendance teams and national guidance, alongside a school training package “tackling misconceptions about roles and responsibilities whilst emphasising the importance of a graduated, evidence informed response at a whole-school level.”

The University of Manchester academic writes: “As this guidance was developed and trialled, stakeholders reported positive changes - including changes to referral pathways, such as the addition of an attendance difficulty screening tool to referrals for the medical education service. Stakeholders also detailed a positive outcome - that initial changes at a local authority level were now beginning to permeate into school settings, as messages were being consistently reinforced by a range of professionals, and they felt they were beginning to see a shift in the understanding of attendance difficulties at the school level.”

She adds: “The working group/guidance has contributed to attendance at this local authority’s schools remaining amongst the highest in England.”

Professor Bond reveals that stakeholder discussions within the project identified “both a lack of clarity about staff roles and responsibilities and a broad range of attitudes about the causes of emotionally based school absences, with some staff perceiving that children and families were responsible, and that punitive action such as fines would be the most effective solution”.

She writes: “Although awareness of the complexity of school non-attendance is increasing, there is still a need for significant work in this area to address misconceptions. The Department for Education should encourage evidence-informed support at both a local and national level.”

Looking to the policy options available to the incoming government, Professor Bond argues that the Department for Education should ensure future guidance on tackling school absence “prioritises early intervention, acknowledges local reasons for school absences, and removes the onus from parental blame.” She adds: “It should encourage multi-agency local solutions, which take on board parental feedback and the experiences of teachers and local authority specialists.” ‘All present and correct? Alternative provision and school attendance’ by Professor Caroline Bond is available to read on the Policy@Manchester website.