Absence management process for schools
Level 2: early help
Each school has access to an Attendance Support meeting. This meeting can be used to discuss those pupils who have moved into Level 2.
The Education Welfare single point of contact will provide advice and guidance regarding the use of other agencies.
When a child's attendance continues to decline over a period, and is at risk of falling below 90%, schools should investigate to see if there are any unidentified, underlying reasons for the absences.
Absence from school is rarely an issue in isolation and is often a symptom of issues elsewhere that need addressing.
Children whose attendance has moved beyond a Level 1 response are vulnerable to becoming persistent or severely absent.
The primary purpose of the attendance meeting is to listen to the parents and carers (and the child if it is appropriate
to do so) to understand and explore the barriers to regular school attendance that exist and then identify the appropriate support needed to overcome these.
Sensitivity and curiosity should be used when meeting with families and children. Being firm, fair and empathetic is very important in this meeting as we need to listen and understand the voice of the family.
The meeting outcome should be a plan that sets out what can be done to overcome the identified barriers to regular attendance, by:
- the child
- parents and carers
- the school
- any external agencies or services
The plan should not be limited to just improving school attendance but also consider what further additional support - if any - is needed by the child or their family. It should be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary.
If the interventions are not having the expected impact they should be changed in consultation with the child and their family, as part of a graduated response to developing a unique inclusion plan for the child.
This can be documented in the review of the pupils Attendance Action Plan completed at Level 1.
Parents / carers should be invited to any meeting in writing. This letter must advise parents of their legal obligations in relation to regular attendance at school.