I hope that this week has got the second half of the summer term off to a good start. I am sure many of you will have been once more battling to ensure that some pupils return from the break. The additional Bank Holidays, train and teacher strikes have already reduced the number of days in schools for pupils this academic year and for Year 11, ensuring attendance at exams adds another level of supervision.
It is fair to say that schools are still in recovery from the impact of the pandemic and one of the areas this is most clearly seen is in attitudes towards school attendance. The estimated absence rate for the 2022/23 academic year to date nationally is noticeably higher than in the years prior to the pandemic. Moreover, the proportion of persistently and severely absent pupils nearly doubling. It is recognised that some groups of pupils are more likely to be persistently absent than others with twice the number of already disadvantaged pupils impacted compared with other pupils.
Certainly, there is no shortage of interest or advice in this area. Recently the Children Commissioner called out for greater joined up work across sectors to tackle poor school attendance, sharing resources for families and schools to support efforts. Ofsted also published examples of how schools and settings are tackling this issue. Last month the DfE announced funding for nine new attendance hubs and an expansion of the attendance mentors’ programme.
As always, much comes back to schools and their ability to resource support in times of tightened budgets. Whilst we have all heard the apocryphal stories of school staff knocking on doors to get children out of bed, the resource for this kind of activity to have meaningful wider impact is simply not there. This makes it so important that the basic systems are well understood and the oversight not considered routine. Tackling poor attendance needs to be considered a strategy more than an action, with reflections on what is working and what is not and measures of impact. Alongside a high quality curriculum and nurtured relationships that engender a sense of belonging, the initial contact with families, and subsequent follow up all contribute to changing mindsets and expectations. There should never be an acceptance that missing any one of the 190 days children have in school is acceptable. Education is an entitlement and a precious one at that. Thank you for all you continue to do in this area.
Although there is no league table for this, we are hoping for 100% attendance at our forthcoming Headteacher meetings of the year: 13 June (Secondary) and 22 June (Primary), agendas to follow. These will be our final Headteacher meetings of the academic year. Dates for 2023-24 have already been circulated. We also planning another half-day conference for all headteachers at the end of September to welcome the new Executive Director, Children and Learning, and share with him what is being done to address key priorities for 2023/4. More information to follow.
A reminder also that the Deputy and Assistant Heads’ Conference is taking place on Friday, 30 June and will be a great opportunity for colleagues from across schools to share learning and best practice. The day is focused on building an inclusive culture in the broadest possible sense, as it relates to both staff and students. There will be themes including recruitment and retention, supporting the most vulnerable students to succeed, and guarding against SLT burnout. Please do aim to release at least one colleague to attend – it’s a good opportunity for collaboration across schools, and indeed for your hard-working senior leaders to have some much needed time to reflect. They can be signed up here.
Enjoy the weekend when it comes for you
Stephen Hall
Chief Executive Officer, Camden Learning
