School attendance and absence

Regular and punctual attendance at school is both a legal requirement and essential for pupils to maximise their full potential given the clear link between attendance and attainment. We can help ensure your absence management policies and procedures are up-to-date, compliant and above all, effective. 

Maintained schools and academies have a duty to promote good attendance and are expected to take action when students fail to attend school regularly. However, dealing with attendance and absence issues can be challenging, particularly where the causes are multi-factorial.

Attendance can be affected by illness, family breakdowns, and wider social issues and it can often be difficult to identify the underlying causes of persistent absence. Once issues are identified it can be challenging to address them, particularly when more than one identified issue needs targeted support. Having accessible, legally compliant policies and clear processes can help schools meet their responsibilities and improve attendance rates.

Addressing the challenge of school absence management

We have a team of leading experts with extensive experience in advising schools and academies on attendance and absence. This includes advice on policies, addressing absence management and escalation procedures, matters concerning removal from roll and dual registration and how attendance interlinks with safeguarding responsibilities and other legislation.

We understand that every school is unique. We work closely with the sector to understand their challenges and to develop effective strategies to address the issues being faced, particularly around implementation and understanding of new guidance and legislation.

We’re committed to providing our clients with the highest quality of service. Our team of experts is dedicated to staying up to date with the latest developments in attendance and absence law and policy, and we use our knowledge and expertise to provide our clients with sector-leading advice.

What we do

Our expertise covers a wide range of attendance and absence issues, including:

• Drafting or reviewing your attendance policies to ensure they’re up to date and compliant.
• Advising on legal requirements and compliance around attendance and absence duties.
• Removal from roll matters and legal withdrawal from school.
• Dual registration issues and recording.
• Maintenance of registers and duties around registration.
• Ofsted considerations around attendance. 
• Attendance requirements in multi–academy trusts (MATs).
• Identifying and addressing the underlying causes of poor attendance, including escalation issues and strategy.
• Assisting in the interaction of the school/academy and Local Authority responsibilities around attendance matters.
• Understanding new data reporting requirements and implications for education establishments.
• Bespoke training to schools and academies on duties and process/procedure around attendance and the implementation of new guidance.
• Advice and training on related legislation and guidance including the Equality Act 2010 and the Children and Families Act 2014.
• Assisting schools and academies in legal proceedings related to attendance and absence.

Your service options

We offer a range of service level options, depending on the needs of your trust or school and the specific issues you face.

We understand that schools and academies are under increasing pressure to deliver high-quality education while managing tight budgets. That’s why we offer our services at competitive rates, and we work with our clients to develop cost-effective solutions to their attendance and absence challenges.