Absence management process for schools

From September 2024, every school in South Tyneside will be offered a minimum of one targeted support meeting with their named Education Welfare Officer, this will be based on need.

Education Welfare Officer's will contact the school's attendance champion or lead and their main point of contact for attendance matters (usually the attendance officer responsible for day-to-day attendance processes) to arrange the meeting. The school may invite additional colleagues to the meeting to support these discussions, such as pastoral staff or heads of year. A representative from the Early Help Team, who is identified as the school's Early Help single point of contact, will also be invited to attend the meeting.

Schools will be offered a face-to-face meeting, but remote meetings can also be arranged if requested by the school or where this is the only option due to availability of colleagues.

Education Welfare Officer's will advise on the expected length of the meeting, which will be based on the persistent absence rate and population for the school.

The main purpose of the Targeting Support meeting is for the Education Welfare Officer to work collaboratively with school attendance leads to identify, discuss, and agree targeted actions for pupils who are persistently absent (90% or less attendance) or severely absent (50% or less attendance).

Prior to the meeting, the Education Welfare Officer will review the school's attendance data and identify trends within groups such as pupils eligible for free school meals or  pupils with EHCP.

Schools will be expected to share information on the application of the Attendance Process in relation to each pupil, including:

• Contact with family in relation to attendance concerns
• The reasons for absences or barriers to attendance
• Strategies and interventions in place to reduce barriers to attendance
• Whether Early Help has been offered and actions taken as a result
• Whether a Social Worker, or other early help worker are acting as lead professional and how attendance concerns are being addressed as part of the family's plan

Advice to schools will include:

• How to apply the Attendance Process in relation to each case and next steps to take when attendance isn't improving, or parents are not engaging
• When and how to offer early help and involve other services where appropriate
• Whether a referral for attendance enforcement at Level 3 is appropriate

Schools do not need to wait for their Targeting Support meeting before making a referral if they have followed the Staged Attendance Process and can evidence that they have reached Level 3.

Education Welfare Officer's will record any actions agreed and share with the attendees following the meeting.

Education Welfare Officer's can offer advice and support to lead practitioners in cases where attendance is not improving despite actions within a family's plan or where it is considered that more could be being done to address attendance through that process.