The role of improving school attendance is complex and multifaceted, often requiring strategic thinking and collaboration across various school roles.
This interactive e-learning course will equip you with the knowledge and tools to make a meaningful impact on student attendance. Whether you're an experienced school leader, an attendance officer, or new to the role, you'll gain valuable insights and practical strategies to understand attendance data, implement targeted interventions, and foster a collaborative culture of consistent attendance that supports student success.
This course, Working Strategically to Improve School Attendance, equips educators with the tools to analyse data, understand root causes, and implement targeted interventions to reduce absenteeism. Participants will engage with the course materials to learn to build a positive attendance culture, engage families and communities, and sustain long-term improvements through strategic planning and reflection activities.
Please note: the content of the course will be updated every six months to ensure materials are up-to-date and relevant.
By the end of this on-demand training course you will:
Analyse current UK attendance statistics and trends to understand the broader context of school absenteeism.
Assess the impact of absenteeism on student outcomes, including academic performance and social-emotional wellbeing.
Explain the legal responsibilities of schools regarding attendance, including relevant laws and policies.
Interpret and utilise attendance data from their school’s MIS to identify patterns and trends.
Create effective data visualisations and presentation templates to communicate attendance issues and progress.
Identify and address common barriers to attendance at individual, family, school, and community levels.
Develop and implement strategies for engaging student voices through surveys and interviews to understand absenteeism.
Design and promote whole-school approaches to build a positive attendance culture, including setting expectations and celebrating success.
Develop targeted interventions and collaborate with external agencies to address specific attendance barriers.
Lead and sustain improvements in attendance by embedding strategies into long-term school improvement plans and providing ongoing staff development.
Facilitator
Steve Burnage is a fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and an experienced education consultant, inspector, and author, with over 35 years’ experience in effective teaching and school leadership.
Steve is an accredited leadership coach and mentor who leads regular training workshops on communication strategies for schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities, and international organisations, as well as being the author of a number of virtual training workshops, webinars, and videos on the topic for clients such as TES Global and Marshall Cavendish Publications.
