Improving CLA Attendance and Punctuality

Taking action to tackle attendance: Hillingdon Virtual School Approach

Attendance reports for SSA and Post 16 children are circulated monthly
Attendance and Exclusions Focus group meetings are convened every term
Attendance updates (for every child) provided at Team Meetings
Children whose attendance has fallen under 90% must have an identified target(s) within their PEP, indicating what steps will be taken to improve the attendance figure
Rewarding/acknowledging 100% and improving attendance

Advice on attendance and punctuality

Clear lines of communication between school and home are essential in supporting good attendance and punctuality. To this end, from the first day a Looked After Child joins a school, there should be agreement between the school and the carer as to who to notify (attendance officer, designated teacher, head of year, tutor, office) and by what means (phone, text, email, note) when a child is to be absent or late
When a child is too ill to attend school or is going to be late, the carer is expected to let the school know before the start of the school day
When a Looked After Child does not turn up for school and there has been no notification from the carer, the school should, without delay, contact the carer, social worker and VSO to let them know so that a decision on appropriate next steps can be collectively made
When a child is in school but is truanting from lessons, the school should contact the carer, social worker and VSO on the same day and agree strategies for avoiding such behaviour in the future
If such absences are persistent, or there is a truancy from the school, a meeting should be called without delay between the school, the carer, the social worker and the VSO to discuss possible causes and future prevention of such truancy
Encourage good attendance and punctuality at every opportunity at home
Ensure that the child's social worker and VSO are notified where there are concerns about a child's attendance
Encourage and facilitate engagement in Out of School Hours Learning
Ensure that a child is prepared and organised for school (inc having appropriate uniform and equipment).

Responsibilities of other professionals in supporting high levels of CLA attendance and punctuality

Social Workers:

Ensure that the school is being held to account, explore what support they can offer to address any attendance or punctuality issues.
Encourage good attendance and punctuality at every opportunity (LAC Reviews, stat meetings etc).
Ensure the Virtual School is informed about any arising concerns regarding attendance and punctuality.

Designated Teachers:

Be sensitive in sharing information about children who are looked after. Most children do not want to be identified by their peers as looked after
Maintain regular contact with carers, encouraging high expectations of looked after and previously looked after children and what they can achieve
Keep the child's social worker and VSO informed if there are concerns about attendance
Raise aspirations of looked after and previously looked after children by offering lots of opportunities for them to develop their strengths and talents. This has been identified as one of the key factors that lead to looked after and previously looked after children succeeding educationally
Encourage involvement in school activities outside school hours such as visits, outdoor activities, sports, drama, art or any other club that might interest the young person
Encourage carers and young people to attend informal activities at the school such as plays, concerts, social events and sporting activities
Use positive rewards such as vouchers, day trips or token rewards such as stars or virtual points for improved attendance and punctuality. In the short term, these may not be the usual targets that other pupils are expected to achieve.
Set realistic targets for the looked after or previously looked after child to achieve the rewards, avoid sanctions and punishment in the traditional sense
Consider reduced hours or phased returns especially after a traumatic event. However, the expectation must be that the child will return to full attendance over time
Provide a consistent adult in school for the child to have regular, easy contact with. This needs to be someone that the child likes, trusts and respects. Ideally the child will choose who this key person should be. The relationship should be a long term one: try to choose an adult who is likely to remain in the school for a long time. This key person does not have to be the Designated Teacher. The aim is to develop a relationship with an adult who focuses on the child's personal, emotional and academic needs
Consider peer mentoring. This provides a supportive social relationship for the child with a person of their own age
Counselling is offered by many schools. Working through some of the complex factors that affect school attendance can be helpful
Ensure that the needs of looked after and previously looked after children are specifically addressed in school development planning and clear in school policies and procedures. Whilst generic support may be appropriate for some children, others will have complex needs and require tailored support and a flexible approach to school systems and procedures. Planning needs to be proactive, rather than reactive
Offer training on the needs of looked after ad previously looked after children to school staff

Strategies for improving attendance

Attendance Reports: Provides a way of monitoring attendance daily and for every lesson. Pastoral Support Plans: (PSP) is a school based and co-ordinated intervention to help individual pupils to improve their social, emotional and behavioural skills. As a result of a PSP pupils should be able to better manage their behaviour and /or improve their attendance
Transport: Transporting a child/young person to school, can be a good way of getting back into a regular routine. Carers will need to ensure that there is a designated member of staff to receive the child/young person, once they are dropped off
Rewards and Sanctions: Rewards should be often and achievable
Incentives: A long term reward agreed by School and Carer to encourage good attendance (e.g tickets to a football match)
Patterns: When looking at a young person's attendance, are there any patterns to the lessons/days that they are missing? If a pattern seems to be occurring, the school will need to look at what support can be put in place to address this
Refusal to attend school: Anxiety around attending school can easily build up. Carers will need to be sensitive in exploring the reason for this (e.g. bullying, learning difficulty etc) and seek to put in the right support to address this (e.g. therapeutic support/ peer mentor/ SEN support etc)
Collaboration: Schools should be keeping professionals in the loop, if possible regular review meetings should be arranged to ensure that there is a robust plan in place and that attendance is improving
Peer mentor/Mentor: Having allocated time with someone who is invested and interested in a young person's well-being will help them to feel valued and encourage them to attend
Breakfast Club: Most schools offer a morning breakfast club, and sometimes a free breakfast. This may work as an incentive for a young person and will avoid any issues with lateness associated with transport (there is often a charge attached to this, however it may be possible to use PPP, if this strategy is being used to improve attendance).