Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils

The rate of absence in schools in England has increased significantly since the pandemic. It is of great concern that absence rates have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The Department recognises the problem, which is encouraging, but there has been no significant improvement in the speed and scale of the rate of reduction which is needed to prevent long-term harm to pupils. (Paragraph 13) The Department’s outlook

We welcome the daily attendance data pilot, the Department’s intention to mandate schools’ participation, and to replace the School Census. Given that around 80% of schools have been successfully using the dashboard over the last academic year, for consistency, we recommend the Department make use of the dashboard mandatory as soon as possible, subject to a successful evaluation of the pilot and addressing any remaining concerns about data management, in conversation with the Information Communications Office.

The Department monitoring daily school attendance is a welcome step, but further monitoring is needed to identify and support those children not receiving a formal education. We have repeatedly called for a register of children not in school and were glad to see it in the Schools Bill. Although the Bill has been dropped, the Secretary of State, the Minister for Schools and the Prime Minister have committed to bringing forward a register, with timescales yet to be announced.

We urge the Government to deliver on its commitment to introduce a register of children not in school to be fully operational for the 2024/25 academic year. We therefore expect the Government to include a suitable legislative vehicle in the next King’s Speech, if it has not already availed itself of the opportunity to adopt a private members bill already before the house. (Paragraph 29) Expectations for attendance

We heard mixed reactions to the guidance working together to improve school attendance. Whilst witnesses agreed guidance on a statutory footing is needed to improve attendance, we heard from a number of witnesses that the guidance in its current form may require revisions. The Department initially planned to revise the guidance ahead of the 2023/24 academic year and said it would place the guidance on a statutory footing when parliamentary time allows, but neither has been completed.

The Department should implement statutory guidance to be applicable from September

We heard that support offered by local authorities can vary significantly. For example, since the funding for Education Welfare Officers has been devolved to schools, it has become a “traded good” for most schools, and a postcode lottery for pupils. We understand the Department has recently conducted a new burdens assessment to improve the consistency of support offered by local authorities, but not all local authorities have the resource to effectively provide the required level of support. Ultimately, the Department must ensure that all schools across the country can access good support in tackling persistent absence.

The Department should conduct an audit of support provided by local authorities to tackle persistent absence. As part of this, the Department should make an assessment of the impact of providing funding for Education Welfare Officers through schools, compared to centrally funding such roles. (Paragraph 47) Government Interventions

There is evidence that prior to the pandemic, fines played a role in reducing unauthorised absence. However, it is less clear if they are an effective deterrent for families who are facing some of the current barriers to attendance we have outlined. We heard that fines do not address the barriers that low-income families face and can be counterproductive by adding to difficult financial circumstances (as discussed in chapter 7). Families are struggling with high school costs, and in some cases, fining is not an appropriate, compassionate, or helpful response. It is clear fines and other legal measures have a use in some circumstances, but the Department does not monitor or regulate the use of fines and prosecution and what methods of support have been offered before they are applied. We also heard that they are used inconsistently due to local authority discretion. We understand the Department recognises this and consulted on the use of legal interventions in July 2022, but we are disappointed by the lack of urgency and action from the Department to effect change in its consultation response.

We recommend the Department instruct schools and local authorities to explore methods of support for pupils and families before the use of fines or prosecution, ensuring that legal intervention is a last resort only. The Department should be more explicit about this in its revisions to the guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’. These revisions should include a national framework for fines and prosecution, to ensure consistency between local authority use. We reiterate, the Department should legislate for this guidance to be made statutory.

We welcome the increase in attendance mentors and the expansion of attendance hubs. Geographical alignment with Education Priority Investment areas gives some insight into the Department’s priorities but we are persuaded that measures need to be rolled out nationally to support persistent and severely absent pupils effectively. The Department should roll out attendance interventions nationally. Given the success of the Attendance Mentors Programme to date, the Department should start by implementing a national roll out of attendance mentors. (Paragraph 63) 64 Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils

Although we heard that attendance mentors do work with families in circumstances when their work with the child exposes a wider set of issues, it is imperative that they conduct this work for all pupils with whole-family support at the forefront, as highlighted by best practice by School-Home Support. As part of the national roll out of attendance mentors, the Department should ensure whole-family support is at the forefront of the programme. (Paragraph 64) Food and enrichment-based interventions

Given a major driver of low attendance is low income, it follows that measures to tackle child poverty should be considered in the Department’s approach to improving attendance. The Department should make an assessment of the eligibility criteria for Free School Meals and adjust if necessary, ensuring all children in poverty are in receipt.

We welcome the offer of breakfast clubs and the Holiday Activities and Food Programme for pupils with higher levels of disadvantage. This measure can be used to support attendance, and may already be doing so, but there is a lack of evidence as the Department does not require schools or local authorities to measure return rates in school attendance, following attendance at breakfast or holiday clubs.

We recommend the Department require local authorities to report on school attendance levels for pupils who have attended a breakfast club or holiday club. If a significant impact can be demonstrated, the Government should consider this in future funding decisions.

We heard limited evidence that schools were offering sports-based interventions to improve school attendance, despite the benefits of sport to pupil engagement. We did hear of localised interventions that are offering some provision, but the position of these interventions is often unsecure and unsustainable due to the lack of direct support from the Government. The Government certainly values sport and activity, and recognises the impact on pupil wellbeing through its update to the School Sport and Activity Action Plan. But there is a lack of recognition for third sector and community organisations providing valuable interventions.

We recommend the Department commission research to test the link between sports- based interventions and improved attendance. As part of this, the Department should look to the third sector for effective practice examples.

The provision of enrichment activities available for pupils has declined in recent years, with £1 billion less spent on youth services than a decade ago. We heard sports-based activities provided by third sector organisations is just one example of enrichment that has been used as an intervention to improve school attendance. We welcome the £500 million pledged by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport towards a National Youth Guarantee, and the Minister for School’s focus on music education. But more should be done to promote an overall enrichment guarantee for pupils in school, to then in turn, improve school attendance. (Paragraph 97) Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils 65

As the Centre for Social Justice have recommend, the Department should implement an enrichment guarantee for pupils in school including the use of sport, music, drama and art, looking to the youth sector for best practice. This guarantee should have KPIs focusing on improving school attendance, and the Department should provide options for schools to incorporate this via an extended school day, should they wish to implement one. (Paragraph 98) Barriers to attendance for pupils with health difficulties

Absence rates in special schools have always been significantly higher than in mainstream educational settings. We understand the SEND cohort have higher absences for legitimate and unavoidable reasons, thus making comparisons with other cohorts difficult. We recommend the Department take greater care when reporting these statistics to avoid unhelpful comparisons.

Attendance and engagement should be seen as key metrics of educational outcomes for SEND pupils in specialist settings. However, the Department should take specific barriers into account when developing these metrics and ensure that they are not expected to behave identically to peers in other settings.

Whilst the SEND and AP improvement plan provides a useful framework for improving outcomes for this group of pupils, it is evident that unmet needs prevails as a very significant barrier to school attendance. Whilst we understand funding pressures, it is essential that pupils are provided with proper resource to improve their educational outcomes and therefore, school attendance.

The Department should prioritise resource for inclusion and assessment in mainstream schools, to ensure they are adequately set up to support SEND pupils and address the current level of unmet need, and therefore improve their attendance rates.

We heard that alternative provision settings are providing useful interventions for pupils with attendance issues, we accept that it can be used as a process for reintegration. But, it is clear that alternative provision should not be seen as a long- term solution, nor should it be used to manage behaviour concerns, due to the level of education provided in these settings. We also heard that some pupils with SEND are being placed in alternative provision without a proper understanding or assessment of their needs.

It is clear that alternative provision should only be a time-limited intervention with clear structures to ensure each pupil’s needs are being effectively supported. The Department should scrutinise its use and ensure they’re being used as methods of support to improve attendance, and discourage its use as a means to manage behaviour.

We have seen overwhelming evidence indicating a radical increase in mental health difficulties amongst school pupils since the covid-19 pandemic. With CAMHS waiting lists at all-time highs, and pupils on three-year waiting lists in some parts of the country, it is evident that the current capacity of mental health services is grossly 66 Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils inadequate. Whilst the Department has issued non-statutory guidance on mental health in schools, it needs to do more to improve its offer of support for these pupils.

The Department should also lead a cross-government assessment of the scale of mental health difficulties amongst pupils, and review the current provision of support available in schools and outside of them. The Government should conclude this review and report its findings by Summer 2024. There then needs to be significant joint working across the Government to ensure CAMHS provision is adequate to meet the needs of school age children, in line with the Department’s previous commitment to a 4-week waiting time.

Mental health-related absences are not commonly authorised by schools, sometimes due to requirements to provide medical evidence which can often lead to fines or prosecution for families. The introduction of an authorised mental health absence code could eliminate the need for medical evidence in cases of known and established mental health difficulties and reduce the need for intervention via prosecution.

As part of reforms to the guidance on attendance, the Department should introduce a mental health absence code, and set clear thresholds for its use.

Illness was the primary reason for pupil absence before covid-19 and remains so. But parental attitudes to illness and attendance have shifted and Government messaging has been inconsistent. As a result, the illness absence rate is considerably higher now that it was pre-pandemic.

We recommend the Department should launch a targeted public information campaign to guide parents on when and when not children who are unwell should attend school. Close working between the Department and the Department for Health and Social Care will be required to get this right, but it should aim to ensure that parents understand the types of illness, including coughs and colds, that should not require children in normal circumstances to miss school. (Paragraph 142) Barriers to attendance for certain pupil characteristics

Transport and uniform costs were identified as barriers to school attendance, especially with recent increases to the cost of living. Although the Department provides extra support to low-income families, such as help with transport costs, it is clear from our evidence that families are not widely taking up these programmes, and therefore, they are not acting as a solution to these barriers. The Department should respond to this report with the take-up of support provided to low-income families for transport costs.

Ultimately, pupils from low-socio economic backgrounds should not be prevented from receiving an education due their financial situation, and this should be considered a priority for the Department as the cost of living continues to rise. We recommend the Department review its framework for supporting low-income families in meeting the costs of school attendance. As part of this review, the Department should conduct an impact assessment of its statutory guidance on school uniform, Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils 67 support available for pupils with additional costs such as school trips, and support with transport costs. Following this review, the Department should issue supplementary guidance highlighting best practice, so schools and local authorities can make informed decisions on how to best support low-income families.

The Department should also implement better signposting to ensure local authorities, schools and families are aware of these measures. The Department should consider whether to require a single point of contact within each local authority that families can refer to for help with support.

We heard that pupils with English as an additional language, or migrant pupils face some specific barriers to attendance. Although we asked if pupils from other ethnic minority groups faced barriers to attendance, such as Pakistani pupils, and White and Black Caribbean pupils with above average rates, we found little research or evidence on the topic. The Department should conduct further research on the barriers to attendance for migrant pupils, and those with above average rates of absence.

There is clear evidence to suggest pupils from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community face significant barriers to attendance. Whilst the Department is aware of this, not enough is being done to support this pupil cohort, and community interventions are filling the gap in localised areas. Whilst the Department does not usually provide targeted interventions for specific ethnic minority groups, for this pupil cohort, it is evident that it is needed to improve their persistently poor outcomes on attendance.

We recommend the Department continue to work with stakeholders from the GRT community and using examples of best practice, roll out measures on a national scale to support this pupil cohort. (Paragraph 168) 68 Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils