Across the UK, for many schools, attendance continues to dominate the education debate. However, despite this attention, many pupils are still absent, with rates remaining above the pre-pandemic levels. Improving school attendance and tackling persistent absence is a continued priority, as evident in the changes proposed throughout the recent Schools White Paper and the revised Ofsted framework.
But what else is ‘absence’ trying to tell us?
With attendance being one of the earliest visible indicators that a young person may be at risk of longer-term disengagement. Patterns of absence, if left unexplored, can become the first visible step on a pathway towards becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET).
In schools, particularly within SEND and inclusion teams, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is that, too often, the education system is structured to react to poor attendance rather than prevent it. If we act earlier, we have the opportunity to shift towards a more preventative approach, identifying and supporting children and young people at risk of disengagement before they go missing from teaching data and are eventually classed as NEET.
We know that attendance data is generally monitored retrospectively to review trends or start an intervention process. Although these monitoring points do matter, they often take place only after repeated or long periods of absence. But persistent absence is rarely caused by one singular or easily identifiable factor. More often, we can look at what is impacting on absence and there’s a range of underlying needs, including:
- Contextual barriers linked to a young person’s environment, daily routine or relationships.
- Low confidence and prior negative experiences of education.
- SEND, which may well be undiagnosed or not yet supported
- social, emotional, mental health needs.
When we look at it from a wider context, attendance data should act as a prompt for earlier conversations about need. For SENCos and education improvement teams, this means seeing attendance as a diagnostic tool to help us act more timely, not simply as a performance indicator.
By sharing information more effectively, local systems can quickly develop a clearer understanding of the relationship between attendance, engagement and NEET risk. For many young people who become NEET, disengagement from education does not happen overnight. Reduced attendance is often part of a wider pattern characterised by decreasing engagement and increasing disconnection from the support systems that work within schools to provide help.
By acting earlier, we have an opportunity to prevent disconnection if we work differently. Flexibility is key. A common theme in work on NEET prevention is the importance of flexible pathways for young people who have disengaged from education.
For some, traditional learning environments can become a barrier, but not an insurmountable one. If we start to identify risk sooner, we can prioritise some practical local systems, such as:
- using attendance data alongside engagement, safeguarding, SEND and wellbeing information to develop a holistic understanding of need.
- creating points of conversation before issues escalate with young people and families.
- ensuring access to flexible provision, including online and blended learning where appropriate.
- enabling access to remote accreditation where traditional exam access is a barrier.
- strengthening the partnership between schools, local authorities, alternative provision, SEND teams, youth services and employability teams.
- developing a wider strategy to strengthen the range of education provision available locally.
- empowering SENDCOs and inclusion leads to ensuring local offers are flexible enough to meet young people’s needs.
If we start conversations between schools, services, and family contexts working together to tackle attendance and NEET, we can work with local authorities to commission the teams needed ahead of time, such as SEND services, education providers, alternative provision, youth services, and employability teams.
Being absent from school is not a ‘choice’ for many young people; it is a sign that the system is not yet meeting their needs. Treating attendance as an early warning indicator gives us a real opportunity to change it, and by working together, we can respond earlier.
Dr Sharon Smith is the Assistant Head of Teaching & Learning (Quality) at Tute Education and a Research Associate and convenor within BERA’s Alternative Education Special Interest Group.
About Dr Sharon Smith EdD, HEA, MA, PGCE, BA Hons, MCCT
Dr Sharon Smith is an education researcher-practitioner specialising in alternative and inclusive online provision and system reform, leading evidence-informed innovation across school and local authority partnerships.
As Assistant Head of Teaching & Learning (Quality) at Tute Education and a Research Associate and convenor within BERA’s Alternative Education Special Interest Group, Sharon’s work focuses on ensuring that every young person has a meaningful pathway and a supported destination.
