Teach Primary 18.8

www.teachwire.net | 37 L E ADERSH I P T ommy, a child classed as disadvantaged, was a persistent absentee, with attendance at 80 per cent. He was missing the equivalent of one school day a week – nearly eight weeks a year. He constantly missed chunks of his learning, so found lessons confusing when he was in school. However great the teaching was, or the interventions were to catch him up, he wasn’t there enough for it to have an impact. In pupil progress meetings, Tommy was talked about a lot – the gaps in his learning and what to target next. However, to really help Tommy, the SLT and Tommy’s teacher should have been discussing how to improve his attendance, which was, after all, the root cause for his low attainment. Working together The Department of Education seems to be aligned to this thinking, with the release of Working Together to Improve School Attendanc e in 2022 and its subsequent updates. Local Authorities are running attendance hubs, and everyone is engaging in the discussion. But what actually makes a difference in improving attendance, particularly for our most vulnerable groups? I haven’t found a way to eradicate term-time holidays yet. Even with the increased fine and the constant reminders that ‘every day counts’, parents are still lured by the significantly cheaper costs and the promise of a quiet beach. However, IMPROVING ATTENDANCE is everyone’s business I have monitored when term-time holidays are most prevalent (after a half term) and put ‘unmissable’ events, such as sports day, in that week. I share the dates a year in advance, so parents think twice before booking a holiday. Working Together states that schools should find ‘supportive routes to improve attendance’, and this is how I always start: a conversation with the parent and/or the child to establish why they are regularly absent or late. I share an ‘Attendance Matters’ booklet with parents, which includes NHS guidance as to when children should be off school for illness. If a child is regularly absent with illness, I discuss a referral to the School Nursing Service. Often, a conversation is enough, as it brings the issue to the parents’ attention. They may not have realised that the odd day off here or there was adding up. THIS WAY! School improvement advice for headteachers and SLT MIDDLE LEADERS | CPD | SUBJECT LEADERSHIP