Absence in schools across the UK remains high post-Covid. Every day a child misses school is a day of missed learning, growth, and social interaction. Recognising the gravity of this issue, schools need to reverse this trend.
Data published in May 2024 shows absence last autumn was 7.5% – higher than the 6.9% absence rate in autumn 2021. More than 1.7 million pupils, or around 24% of the total population, missed 10% or more possible sessions across the term, while 125,000 (1.7 %) missed 50% or more.
As recent data underscores the alarming rise in absenteeism rates across schools, it is clear that the impact of attendance extends beyond the classroom. School attendance is not only a matter of fulfilling rules. It is a cornerstone of educational success and development. Beyond its immediate implications for academic performance, regular attendance plays a key role in shaping pupils' social, emotional, and long-term outcomes.
Understanding the significance of attendance is crucial for devising effective strategies to address absenteeism and ensure that every pupil can thrive academically and beyond. That’s why Protocol Education has introduced Attendance Mentors. The programme provides intensive one-to-one or group support to pupils with attendance issues. Mentors work with them to find out why the pupil is missing school. This can lead to extra support and help bridge school and family relationships.
Understanding Pupil Absence
Our Attendance Monitoring Programme demonstrates that one of the best ways to improve attendance is by working with pupils, building trust, and listening to their concerns. Our mentors encourage pupils to discuss issues – anything they feel prevents them from attending school.
Attendance Mentors have experience working within schools but come from different backgrounds, including mental health support, welfare, youth work, and the military.
Mentors:
Support absent pupils to get back into school.
Focus on the personal and learning objectives the schools set.
Develop a trusting and open relationship with the pupils they work with.
Use proven strategies to raise self-confidence and learner expectations.
Provide targeted support in line with existing care plans.
The programme will also enable you to understand what is driving absence in your school and provide early support and intervention where pupils display worrying trends of absence.
The government has committed to further legislation in the coming months. This will mean all schools will have to share their daily school registers. This, together with reforming pupil registration practices, will change how schools record and share data on attendance.
There's never been a better time to utilise attendance mentors. With the upcoming government changes, attendance mentors can help schools make the most of these changes. They can support students better, and, most importantly, increase attendance.
Together, let us ensure that no pupil misses out on the transformative power of education. Available immediately, our mentors are fully cleared and available to book today from £150 per day.
