This report by Ofsted looks at different aspects of pupil attendance and how schools tackle the current challenges they face.
The report finds that schools that improve pupil attendance from a low baseline, maintain high levels of attendance and minimise persistent absence adopt similar strategies that can best be summarised as ‘listen, understand, empathise and support – but do not tolerate’.
It looks at different aspects of pupil attendance and how schools tackle the current challenges they face. It finds that schools that have typically tackled absence well in the past are continuing to do so now.
Many schools are still experiencing higher-than-average pupil absences due to COVID-19. Schools also continue to face challenges that are indirectly related to the pandemic, such as parents’ and pupils’ anxieties.
Sources of pupils’ anxiety include fears of family members becoming ill, seeing parents under more stress or facing financial hardship, and experiencing domestic violence. Older pupils worry about whether their Year 11 examinations might be cancelled and how this might affect their future. More time spent online during national lockdowns has also fuelled social anxiety for some children and young people. Although these concerns are not directly related to school, they can affect pupils’ mental health and their attendance suffers accordingly.