Partnership and multi-agency working: Six steps to an effective partnership to support attendance - checklist
Meeting the wide-ranging needs of all children, young people and their families is at the heart of what makes an excellent school. There is no ‘silver bullet’ to addressing absence, attendance and engagement however having effective and trusted partnerships are part of the solution.
This 6-step checklist can be used to take practitioners through improvements in your partnership approaches to supporting attendance.
It should be used in conjunction with the Community Partnership Mapping Tool and be underpinned by the partnership principles for improving attendance.
Triangulate attendance data with local intelligence and explore vision
1.1 Look at the data you have about your local community context, particularly equalities data, that may adversely or positively impact attendance. This doesn’t have to be a desktop exercise – it can also be an opportunity to explore data with a range of key partners that are already supporting the school.
1.2 Map out and investigate your key local partners that can support you in delivering this vision by using the Community Partnership Mapping Tool. What are they currently doing and where are any gaps? Remember, partners can include community learning and development (CLD) partners - both public and third sector - such as youth workers and adult or family learning workers; Educational psychologists, Active Schools; Local employers; Charities and community organisations (list is not exhaustive).
1.3 Interrogate attendance data to evidence and develop rationale.
1.4 Develop a clear vision for attendance and engagement in your school. How is this reflective of the local authority attendance policy?
1.5 Assess and identify your current strengths and areas of development in supporting attendance. You may find the Forth Valley and West Lothian self-evaluation toolkit useful for this step.
1.6 Agree who will be key contact between your school and identified partners.
Access the Lost in Translation resources which can support you to build a shared language between schools and youth work.
Talk to children, young people and families, and seek to involve partners in these discussions.
2.1 Understand how the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) helps to recognise and realise children’s rights. Consider using ‘The Lundy Model’ of Participation when planning your consultation.
2.2 Talk with children, young people and their families about attendance. This is a task that can be undertaken by partners who may have a different relationship with the child/family. Consider using the Forth Valley & West Lothian school refusal assessment scale to capture this data.
2.3 With your partners, use the feedback you get from children, young people and their families to agree the type of targeted support required (individual, school, family or peer factors). Identify through this process and consider what aspects you and your partner/s are delivering on.
2.4 Embed nurturing approaches in your school and through your partnerships. This will help children and young people build resilience and improve their social, emotional and mental health and wellbeing. This supports children and young people to build their resilience which can have a positive impact on attendance and engagement.
Agree joint resources and reporting arrangements with partners
3.1 Consider and agree with partners. what resources are needed. If appropriate, consider how you can make best use of your Pupil Equity Funding and/or other SAC resources to support partnerships that can impact on attendance and engagement What other resources can partners bring to the table? Track and monitor the impacts of your partnerships in your School Improvement Plan.
3.2 Remember to follow your local authority procurement procedures. If appropriate, plan and develop service level agreements with partners that will support this partnership.
3.3 Discuss and agree how attendance and engagement is being captured, measured and reported. Determine who is undertaking certain paperwork tasks such as population of risk assessments, and how these are being shared.
Read about how you can use the YouthLink Scotland's 'Youth Work Outcomes & Skills Framework' to support young people to recognise, articulate and track their skills.
Collaborate with partners to explore and inform the vision and outcomes
4.1 Using your Community Partnership Mapping Tool establish contact with your identified partners. Involve your partners from the very start of your planning cycle and seek to understand their own planning cycles.
4.2 Have open and practical conversations with partners about what can and can’t be offered at an early stage, examples could be support to mental health, wellbeing and/or development of an alternative curriculum.
4.3 Create a shared vision and plan with your partners, with shared outcomes and clear roles and responsibilities.
4.4 Consider what targeted attendance support could be delivered with partners in community settings because not all support to address attendance needs to take place in the school setting.
Hear how FARE-Scotland in partnership with St Mungo’s Academy, has ensured that the voice of children and young people have informed the partnerships strategic plan.
Read about how YouthLink Scotland developed and piloted a rights-based approach to improving attendance and engagement, working alongside schools and youth work partners in Edinburgh.
Delivery, monitoring and tracking
5.1 Establish clear roles and responsibilities -Who, What, When, How to support attendance and engagement, ensure consistency, sustainability and pathways are considered.
5.2 Agree on data tracking, who is doing this, and how frequently. Consider what systems are going to be used to ensure consistency throughout the partnership.
5.3 Agree and plan regular meetings with partners to explore progress and adjust/amplify partnership where appropriate.
5.4 Regularly consider and plan pathways and exit plans for children, young people and families, reviewing the sustainability of any interventions.
5.5 Consider how you will capture children’s, young people’s and families’ voices to evidence success of the partnerships’ interventions/supports. This can help you identify where changes need to be made.
Read about how St Paul’s Primary collaborated with a range of partners to raise attendance in their setting:
Improving Attendance in Partnership – St. Paul’s Primary, Whiteinch
Impact, evaluation and partnership legacy
6.1 Consider how you and your partners will celebrate success and keep children, young people, their families and the wider community up to date with progress.
6.2 Capture outcomes, ensuring that these link with the local authority stretch aims (specifically the attendance aim) and are reflected in your school’s Standard and Quality Report and any relevant SAC evaluations.
6.3 Capture case studies, if appropriate, to illustrate success and share practice, locally and nationally and your local Attainment Advisor can advise you on sharing interesting practice.
6.4 Work with your partners to regularly review your partnership arrangements. Reflect on lessons learned and how these will inform your next steps.
Read about the important role that youthwork plays in improving attendance and engagement from Youthlink Scotland and how they have successfully supported partnerships across Scotland.
