Improving Student Attendance Together: A Collaborative Programme for School Leaders

An evidence-based, collaborative approach that helps school leaders boost student attendance and create lasting change.

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Attendance rates are improving nationally, but is your school moving fast enough? With the new inspection framework prioritising inclusion, do your attendance policies and processes help every student achieve, belong and thrive?

Why choose our Improving Attendance Together programme?

Evidence-informed, highly interactive sessions designed to deliver sustained improvements in attendance. What makes it unique? Collaboration at every level.

Participants will work together:

• With colleagues: Two leaders from your school—strategic and operational—with focused time together to drive improvement.
• With counterparts: Connect with leaders from schools nationwide to share best practice.
• With system leaders: The programme will be co-delivered by school leaders who have transformed attendance in their own settings.

What you’ll gain

Five focused sessions built around our research-backed “best bets” for improving attendance. All participants will receive an updated copy of our Summary of Policy and Research on Attendance and Punctuality.

Programme sessions

1. Develop a positive attendance culture in your school.
2. Enhance data analysis and evaluation to strengthen attendance.
3. Better engage families effectively to support attendance.
4. Reshape intervention work to better address barriers to attendance.
5. Using evidence to effectively monitor and evaluate impact on attendance.

How it works

Each two-hour session includes:

• Key insights from the evidence base
• Practical examples from successful school leaders
• SSAT case studies of effective and less effective practice
• Collaborative discussions to share challenges and solutions
• Action commitments and progress reviews.

Who should join?

Designed for primary, secondary and special school settings. Two leaders from your school should attend, ideally:

• Strategic attendance lead (usually a member of the senior team)
• Operational attendance lead (such as attendance manager or equivalent)

A tailored programme is available for multi-academy trusts looking to ensure coherence across schools. Book a call with our attendance expert, Keven Bartle, to discuss your requirements.

How will participants benefit?

Your attendance leaders taking part in this programme will benefit from:

• Sharing the challenges and successes they have had in tackling attendance.
• Understanding how quality research and practice can help shape attendance provision.
• Effective self-evaluation support to prioritise action that impacts on pupil absence.
• Thinking about, planning for, and evaluating, improvements in professional practice.
• Iterative facilitation of reflection for sustainable changes in your school’s practice.

Ready to improve attendance together?

Secure your place today and start improving attendance in your school.

Book now

Our attendance expert

Dr Keven Bartle, Senior Education Lead, SSAT

Keven has been a teacher for almost three decades and was headteacher at a richly diverse secondary school in London for nine years. Through his career, Keven has been committed to the power of education for social justice and transformation, working in schools where staff make a difference to the lives of children, families and communities.

Book a call with Keven