Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision

Attendance and belonging

Contents

Expectation

There is a culture of professional curiosity about changes in attendance at the earliest stages.

  • Accordion

    • Why? Evidence base

      • Professional curiosity makes it more likely that the reasons underpinning changes to attendance will be identified and supported.
      • Early support for children and young people experiencing attendance difficulties leads to better long-term outcomes and reduces the impact of non-attendance on mental health, academic progress and social development.

    • How? Whole setting

      • There are robust systems and processes in place to regularly monitor attendance by all leaders, including governors,committees and early years setting owners.
      • Leaders ensure there is a rigorous process for identifying, monitoring and supporting attendance concerns early on. This should include ensuring accurate recording, identifying and analysing patterns of absence, addressing attendance concerns, engaging with parents and liaising with external agencies where appropriate, for example Family Hub, Public Health Nursing.
      • Leaders enable whole-school or setting policies to be applied flexibly with reasonable adjustments to support attendance.
      • Whole-school or setting training raises awareness of the complex factors which influence attendance. Within school lesson avoidance is sought to be understood, in addition to difficulties attending school.
      • Whole-school or setting provision enables ‘soft starts’ to the day, or considers other strategies to support transitions from home to school.

    • How? Early years

      • Regardless of whether children are at compulsory school age, all adults show professional curiosity about non-attendance. Practitioners consistently and thoroughly investigate all absences for individual children and their siblings and keep good records.
      • Full registration details are kept for every child, along with accurate information about parents, carers and others who may accompany the child to and from the setting.
      • Manual or electronic registers are kept clearly and accurately.
      • The child is welcomed back sensitively into the setting when they return. Practitioners notice them and comment on their interests to build trust.

    • How? Classroom

      • Teachers are supported to understand how they can support and intervene early on.
      • Relationships are maintained with the pupil when they are not attending through check-ins, phone calls, holding in mind, sending work home etc.
      • The pupil is welcomed back sensitively into the class when they return, teachers notice them and comment on their interests to build trust.
    Attendance and belonging resources

Expectation

Parents and pupils are seen as partners in good attendance and are engaged in conversations early on.

  • Accordion

    • Why? Evidence base

      • Parents and pupils have unique insights into personal circumstances, so support can be tailored to meet specific needs and situations.
      • Research tells us that when parents and settings listen to each other and work together, it has a positive impact on attainment and student well-being.

    • How? Whole setting

      • Strong family relationships are built, making sure that appropriate means of communication to meet family needs are always used.
      • Strengths-based home school meetings create a shared understanding of difficulties impacting attendance, action plans are co-produced, and a culture of blame is avoided.
      • Pupils’ views around attendance are sought routinely, using scaffolds where appropriate, and are woven into action plans.
      • Open channels of communication are maintained with pupils and families via named contacts in school. There are processes in place for regular communication between practitioners and families, for example, email, phone call, home-setting communication book.
      • Schools and settings work alongside parents and pupils to develop plans for reintegration.
      • Reintegration (or inclusion) meetings are family-centred and plans for children and young people to rejoin the setting are co-developed, taking a step-by-step approach.

    • How? Early years

      • Practitioners get to know the families and understand the challenges they face. They are skilled to adapt the way they work to accommodate families’ needs.  Working in this way has the potential to transform children’s life chances.
      • Practitioners know children well, recognising how they respond and engage with the environment with a sense of belonging and a growing sense of self.
      • The child’s voice is represented and contributes to a shared understanding of difficulties impacting attendance.
      • Appropriate resources and approaches are used to actively listen to children.
      • Key adults know children well and notice patterns in non-attendance which they follow up with curiosity.
      • There is a rigorous, persistent yet sensitive approach in seeking and recording explanations for absence. This could involve liaison with family support, practitioners and/or external agencies, for example Public Health Nursing, Family Hubs.

    • How? Classroom

      • Key adults, teachers and form tutors know children well and notice patterns in non-attendance which they follow up with curiosity.
      • There are processes in place for regular communication between teachers and families, for example, email, phone call, home or school book.

Resources

Useful resources for school leaders, teachers, SENCOs and early years practitioners.