Attending to absence: Supporting schools to increase school attendance

On Wednesday, 7 May we held a GM Policy Hub seminar exploring how local approaches can improve school attendance and support disadvantaged children.

Persistent rates of school absences have increased considerably since the COVID-19 pandemic, with no sign of returning to pre-pandemic levels. Levels of school absence are proven to be higher in disadvantaged areas, with rates of unauthorised absence 34% higher in the North of England than the South.

Improving school attendance is a key priority for schools, education policymakers, and local authorities, as regular attendance is widely recognised as a key component of learning and educational achievement.

How can local authorities take an evidence-informed approach to work with parents and schools to support attendance? Research from The University of Manchester has explored school absence, developing and implementing a localised approach to school attendance difficulties, which could effectively inform future policy and practice in mainstream schools and alternative provision.

Speakers:

• Professor Caroline Bond, Senior Lecturer, Manchester Institute of Education
• Dr Matthew Fletcher, Educational and Child Psychologist, Wirral Council
• Chaired by Professor Arpana Verma, Clinical Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology, and Academic Co-Director of Policy@Manchester

You can view the slides from this presentation here.