Teach Primary 18.8

their attendance or punctuality. The children’s ideas are insightful, and the plan motivates them. Lateness is as big an issue as absence. For children who regularly arrive late, they miss the sense of belonging that being in class in time for the register brings. They often arrive flustered and anxious. Again, we tackle this through conversations and transparency – telling parents why punctuality matters. Tackling poor attendance starts with understanding and support, but for anything important, there comes a time when enforcement is needed. Attendance contracts, as detailed in Working Together , are a great way to formalise expectations and hold parents to account. I am also regularly in contact with the attendance support team at my local authority in order to navigate the different scenarios that present themselves. They provide me with a wealth of knowledge, which allows me to put the right procedures into place at the most appropriate time. This includes knowing when to take the bold step of unauthorising an attendance without medical evidence. Sometimes, decisions around attendance can be tough and unpopular. But ultimately, I am always making them with the child’s best interests at heart. Laura Dobson is deputy headteacher at a large three-form-entry primary school. She specialises in attendance, assessment and English. @inspireprieng Reflections on successful targeted support The reasons behind persistent absence are many and varied – term-time holidays, family circumstances and children with emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA). Children with SEND needs and those from disadvantaged backgrounds are also more likely to be absent from school. Consequences such as fines might be regarded as a short-term solution, whereas targeted support is likely to support leaders to address the root causes of absenteeism which can lead to long term behavioural changes. So, how can we make targeted intervention as effective as possible? Firstly, explore how staff respond to messages about absence from parents. Are they empathetic, while also encouraging attendance? Do colleagues react in a solution-focused manner? Do families receive the same response to absence regardless of who they speak to and when they phone? Conversations about absence are likely to be more fruitful when there is an established relationship between the school and the child or their family. Choose the best person for the job, whether that’s a class teacher or someone else – whoever the family already knows or responds to well. Start with a common point of agreement: we all want the child to succeed in school. How can we work together to achieve that? Some pupils will have significant gaps in their learning as a result of the time spent out of school. That in itself can create a further barrier to attendance, as the pupil may feel even more adrift from their peers. Leaders and teachers might find it helpful to explore what the child could do at home or on a 1:1 basis in school before going back into class as preparation for their return. There are no quick fixes. Building trust and relationships with parents – the key stakeholder in raising attendance rates – takes time and continued effort. For more support on tackling absence in your setting visit hfleducation.org/home and search for the Attendance Box Set. Anne Peck is head of primary curriculum at HFL Education. hfleducation.org L E ADERSH I P “What actually makes a difference in improving attendance, particularly for our most vulnerable groups?” www.teachwire.net | 39