Attendance Matters Plus Essex Education Welfare Service

What we aim to cover Education Welfare Service Updates Code of Conduct for Penalty Notices  Code of Conduct for Penalty Notices Elective Home Education – new Appendix I form  Elective Home Education – new Appendix I form National absence levels Registration practices – link to CSE Schools/Governing bodies – working together to improveattendance and outcomes Schools/Governing bodies – working together to improve attendance and outcomes Ofsted: Sharing examples of good practice to improve schoolattendance Ofsted: Sharing examples of good practice to improve school attendance Persistent absence threshold – 15% - 10% An opportunity to network with other schools 2

EWS Updates – Code of Conduct (PNs) The law states that headteachers should not authorise leave during term-time unless there are exceptional circumstances The LA must have in place a Code of Conduct which allows for Penalty Notices to be issued for irregular school attendance Headteachers hold discretion as to whether or not to apply for a penalty notice where parent(s) take leave of absence which has not been authorised (G coded absence) Important that we move parents away from applying for leave for ‘holidays’ and only allow requests for ‘leave due to exceptional circumstances’ Pack due to be shared with schools with updated sample documents – ESI / Delegates Pack 3

EWS Updates - Code of Conduct (PNs) Current code of conduct allows for LA to issue a PN where there are 10 sessions of unauthorised absence recorded for a pupil within a 6 week period For unauthorised leave of absence (term-time holidays) these 10 sessions must be recorded consecutively and, currently, at least one other prescribed criteria must be met before the LA can issue a PN on behalf of Essex schools/academies Colleagues have shared their frustrations with regards to the additional criteria as this has proved confusing 4

5 Current Code of Conduct – Penalty Notices – Unauthorised Leave of Absence 5 consecutive days/10 consecutive sessions of unauthorised leave Attendance is below 90% during the preceding 12 weeks before the leave was taken; OR Any day of the leave falls within the month of September; OR The leave was taken during tests or examinations; OR It is the second leave taken in any one academic year; OR The pupil is in Year 6 or Year 11

EWS Updates - Code of Conduct (PNs) Local Code of Conduct must be agreed in consultation with headteachers Survey sent out to all Essex heads in the autumn term Comments/suggestions were fed into Steering Group discussions which took place early in the spring term Updates and amendments to the Code of Conduct will come into force as from 1 st September

Essex Code of Conduct – Penalty Notices – SEPTEMBER 2015 onwards Penalty Notices for Unauthorised Leave of Absence will be issued on behalf of Essex schools/academies solely on the basis of: 5 or more consecutive days/10 or more consecutive sessions unauthorised leave of absence (G coded) PLEASE NOTE: Where parent fails to pay the PN fine, they will face prosecution and could be liable for a fine of up to £1000 and receive a criminal record If the parent pleads ‘not guilty’, headteachers will be called as witnesses at the trial 7

EWS Updates – Elective Home Education Decision taken to decommission the Home Education Service with effect from 1 st April 2015 Parents have no duty to notify the LA where they choose to electively home educate LA has no statutory powers to routinely monitor the home education arrangements that are put in place by parents LA does have a duty to intervene ‘if it appears’ that a suitable education is not in place 8

EWS Updates – Elective Home Education Effective communication between schools, EWS and other agencies is the key to ensuring that necessary actions are taken “if it appears” that a suitable education is not being provided by parent(s) If parent elects to home educate whilst a child is on roll at a school/academy – the SCHOOL/ACADEMY has a duty to notify the LA that they are removing a child from roll as a result of parents electing to home educate APPENDIX I – Intention to Remove from Roll form (via Essex Schools Infolink) – very user-friendly format This has been enhanced and is only available in an electronic format (must be submitted online) 9

EWS Updates – Elective Home Education Schools now required to state on the Appendix I whether they have any concerns about the parental commitment to offer a suitable education. Where concerns are raised, EWS will investigate Commitment NOT capacity Welfare concerns – who have these been reported to? Family Solutions/Social Care involvement? If case is open to EWS, automatic consideration will be made to investigate the home education arrangements that parents put in place (visit 4 weeks after decision and again, if necessary, 4 weeks later) – could be an attempt by parent to avoid punitive action 10

EWS Updates – Elective Home Education Where investigations indicate that a suitable education has not been put in place, LA will instigate School Attendance Order (SAO) proceedings and instruct parent to enrol their child with a school within a stipulated time frame If a school is to be named on a SAO, the headteacher (and Chair of Governors) of the school will be contacted and offered a consultation about why their school has been named on the Order – e.g. distance from family home, etc Parental failure to comply with the SAO/provide evidence of a suitable education – will lead to court action for breach of SAO – parents will be liable for a fine of up to £

EWS Updates - Various EWS Half-Termly RAG data – should only submit details for pupils who have reached statutory school age (not ALL reception children). This will give an accurate reflection of what your published figures will look like and the ability to compare your data with national/local data DfE ask you to submit, via your census ALL reception data Changes to PA threshold – parental letter shared with all headteachers Children in Employment and Entertainment  Applications for licenses – if issued by LA school to authorise  New standard application process – headteacher objections requested within Essex ESI – Useful documents/websites 12

2013/14 (HTs 1 - 5) – National vs. Essex Absence Rates – (PRIMARY) 13

2013/14 (HTs 1 - 5) – National vs. Essex Absence Rates – (SECONDARY) 14

15 Autumn 2014 Attendance SFR Primary League Position of Auth % Unauth % Overall % 151 LAs 11 SNs PA (15%) 151 LAs11 SNs ESSEX3.06%0.66%3.72% %372 East Region3.16%0.68%3.85% %55 Stat.Neighbours3.21%0.62%3.83% %61 ENGLAND3.16%0.76%3.92% 3.73% Secondary League Position of Auth % Unauth % Overall % 151 LAs 11 SNs PA (15%) 151 LAs11 SNs ESSEX3.91%1.02%4.93% %431 East Region3.98%0.96%4.94% %60 Stat.Neighbours4.14%0.95%5.08% %80 ENGLAND3.94%1.12%5.06% 6.09%

Activity – compare individual school data with national data Are you comparing favourably? If YES – what have you been doing to achieve this? If NO – what has prevented your school from achieving higher attendance rates/reduced absence rates? Be prepared to ‘tell the story’ which explains why your data looks the way that it does e.g. certain individual pupils, ill health, complex issues, use of strategies to improve attendance, impact of strategies used, multi-agency working, referrals to EWS, etc 16

Improving attendance Burnham-on-Crouch Primary School

Why? In March 2012 our attendance was low; the headteacher’s report stated: “Our current attendance (05/09/11 – 01/03/12) stands at 94.3% compared to our target of 95.5% This level of absence, 5.7%, is significantly above average and is approaching the level that Ofsted defines as indicating ‘poor’ attendance.”

Why? “Absence due to term time holidays continues to decline but remains an issue that causes conflict with parents. Indeed, following the last letter sent to all parents regarding attendance I received a flurry of additional holiday requests, the vast majority of which have been declined. The workload associated with this is disproportionately large with aggrieved parents then seeking meetings and/ or phone calls to discuss the reasons and make their individual plea for special consideration.” Headteacher’s Report Spring 2012

Who? A concerted and co-ordinated effort was made to improve attendance, involving: Governors Office staff Headteacher Family Support Worker All staff

How? Strategies included: Governor Attendance Panel – focusing on term time holiday requests Zero tolerance policy Attendance leaflet Term time holiday information leaflet Family Support Worker working with families and children to address attendance and lateness Rigorous and consistent use of penalty notices

Frustrations! Included: Arguments with parents Complaints! Lack of support from local MP

Progress, at last “The school is being successful in reducing the number of pupils who are persistently absent. As a result, attendance is improving significantly and is above average.” Ofsted December 2012 “The systems used for checking attendance and following up absence are very thorough and the school has adopted a hard line approach. As a result attendance is above average and the attendance of pupils supported by the pupil premium has improved.” Ofsted November 2014

Our current data May 2015 Whole school attendance 96% Persistent absentees at 20% none Persistent absentees at 15% 1.97% (7/356)

Ofsted/Governor Evidence Folder Historical data – trends/stories Strategies employed to address identified issues Narrowing the Gap agenda Pupil Premium monies Rewards/incentives – best/most improved Pupil voice (relevance/engagement) Attendance expectations high on school agenda – newsletters/website/visible displays around school/assembly presentations Focus on punctuality Scrutinise the data – use the system to get the information you need to inform your role Case studies – evidence of multi-agency work 25

Registration Practices - CSE Child Sexual Exploitation – not limited to Rochdale / Rotherham / Oxfordshire Happening much closer to home Internal truancy can be a sign – not something you can refer to EWS Police? Social care? Family Operations Hub? Better to share than to keep quiet – intelligence from different sources can build up to a bigger picture and enable action to be taken KEY: Do not mark a pupil present unless they are physically sat in front of you – do not take another pupil’s word for the presence of their friend/peer Designated Safeguarding Officer – if in doubt, raise concerns – better to be safe than sorry 26

Ofsted - Examples of Good Practice Pupil progress is checked and monitored by ethnicity – enables tracking of specified groups within the school’s cohort Allows for resource/support to allocated, targets to be set with pupils who are not meeting expected levels of progress 1:1 support is offered to pupils who need help with reading Parents are invited in to observe the types of activities that they could engage in to support learning within the home environment Consistent approach to addressing absence – first day contact, if necessary staff collect pupils from home Ongoing absence concerns addressed by inviting parents in for a meeting – entitled ‘attendance surgeries’ 27

Ofsted - Examples of Good Practice Parents reminded several times by telephone/text that ‘attendance surgery’ is due to take place – better parental engagement Consequences of poor attendance made clear at school-based meetings Persistent absence is tackled in partnership with LA Education Welfare Service Regular rewards for good and improving individuals and classes Notices about when school term dates begin are placed on the school gates/entrances Ethos – pupils enjoy school, understand the importance of regular attendance and want to come to school 28

Ofsted - Examples of Good Practice The school has gained the trust and respect of parents over a period of time – dedicated roles Inclusion Manager/Attendance Officer Parents now understand the high expectations that are in place with regards to attendance and communicate any planned absences to school staff – traveller families included School trips – parents can keep in touch with their children via the school mobile, school calls anxious parents to inform them that all is well (appreciated by parents), Key staff available at the beginning and end of the day – so that parents feel that they are accessible and approachable. Home visits made if appropriate Low rate of staff turnover – helps strong positive relationships to be built between parents and staff 29

Ofsted - Examples of Good Practice Gypsy, Roma and Traveller month is celebrated every June Entrance Hall is decorated and all pupils are involved The headteacher has an unwavering commitment to celebrating diversity and understanding the population her school serves; it is deeply rooted in the ethos of the school. Traveller pupils say they ‘fit in’ and develop a very positive attitude to school where they can be themselves. One comments: ‘If the staff understand my culture then I feel as valued as everyone else.’ These examples have been taken out of a Good Practice Example produced by Ofsted (March 2015) – Kingsmead Primary School, Hackney – ‘Outstanding’ judgement (4.5% traveller population) MOST OF THE STRATEGIES / APPROACHES ABOVE COULD BE EQUALLY APPLIED TO ANY SCHOOL COMMUNITY 30

Persistent Absence Threshold 15% - 10% Significant impact – need to address absence much earlier to prevent pupils falling into PA category Letter shared by EWS to assist schools to prepare parents for this increased focus on attendance/absence Encourage schools to work in partnership to send out the same, consistent message Transition – communication of attendance concerns is key – allow colleagues to pick up where you finish a piece of work. Avoid duplication where possible – seamless handover of absence management EWS referral criteria – 8 sessions within a four week period – MUST HAVE EVIDENCE OF PRE-REFERRAL WORK 31

Thank you Evaluation Forms – value and appreciate your feedback Workshops to be held every six months – hope to see you all again in the new year Please do not hesitate to call our local ‘duty lines’ if you require support with coding of absence, advice on pre-referral work, etc.  MID:  NORTH EAST:  SOUTH:  WEST: Essex Schools Infolink / Weekly ‘Education Essex’ newsletter