Improving attendance: understanding the issues report: Self-evaluation and reflection

1. Are we creating and promoting an ethos of inclusion, diversity, participation and positive relationships aimed at eliminating discrimination and building empathy to support attendance in our setting?

2. How do we motivate children and young people to attend school and feel fully included engaged and involved?

3. How do we know our approaches to assessment and planning for additional support needs address any barriers to learning that might impact attendance?

1. Does your setting have an attendance policy?

2. Does this reflect both Education Authority guidance and the national context outlined in IEI1 2019?

3. How effectively do we involve staff, children and young people; a wide range of parents and other relevant partners, in the development of our policy?

4. How effectively do we communicate our policy to the whole educational community?

5. How accessible is our attendance policy e.g. is this on our establishments website/ handbook?

6. How effectively does our attendance policy link to our other policies on promoting positive relationships and behaviour, and parental engagement?

1. How effectively do you ensure that all staff know and understand ‘Getting it right for every child’ and children’s rights (UNCRC) and their links with attendance? Consider policy, guidance and approaches.

2. How effectively do senior leaders ensure that all staff have access to professional learning on attendance policy and practice?

1. What evidence do you have of positive and respectful relationships across our educational community including between children and young people, staff and children and young people, and between staff and parents?

2. How do you know our curriculum promotes encourages and sustains attendance through accessibility, flexibility, personalisation and choice?

3. How do you know your provision of 'Responsibility of All' and  support for mental, emotional and social wellbeing contributes towards good attendance?

1. How effectively do you seek innovative ways to engage positively with parents to encourage good learning and teaching and to promote good attendance?

2. How effectively do you develop relationships with a wide range of families, the local community and partners which are characterised by trust and respect?

3. How effectively do you support parents, carers and families experiencing circumstances which affects their child’s attendance?

4. How effectively do you collaborate with partners to strengthen support to children and young people and their families with regard to absence?

5. How effectively do you communicate information about this support available to parents?

1. How effectively do you identify patterns of late coming and absence?

2. How effectively do you identify and assess the underlying causes of absence including home, educational setting, and community factors?

3. How do you know our procedures for follow up of late coming and absence are effective?

4. How effectively do you support children and young people back into learning following an extended absence?

1. What are your agreed thresholds where support for attendance is triggered and how do you ensure that clear procedures are in place?

2. How effectively do you use data to improve attendance, and plan to meet individual children and young people’s needs?

3. How effectively do you use the information and data gathered to inform our next steps?

The following challenge questions can help you explore and implement practices that will encourage good attendance.

1. Do our policies and practices promote and explicitly value good attendance (with pupils, parents, and partners)?

2. Is our approach to promoting attendance inclusive and address equity issues?

3. How can partnership working with parents, community and family learning, and other partners, be developed further to increase attendance and manage absence?

PDF: Promoting attendance - Self-reflection questions for educational settings