Improving Whole School Attendance and Punctuality

Improving attendance is everyone’s business
(DFE, Working together to improve school attendance, May 22)

Improving attendance to support the achievement, development and life chances of all learners is a national priority.

  • How well are you are promoting the benefits of high attendance to stakeholders?
  • How effectively you are addressing barriers to attendance?
  • What impact is your attendance and punctuality strategy having on learners? What needs to change?

SSAT’s Attendance and punctuality programme provides everything you need to:

  • Undertake a detailed, rigourous review of practice
  • Develop, refine, and communicate an effective attendance strategy
  • Proactively identify, prioritise and implement actions that will make the most difference to learners
  • Establish successful approaches to improving attendance through collaboration and engagement with stakeholders

Improving whole school attendance cards

Download examples of some of the core questions.

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Sharing Best Practice to Secure Good Attendance

Since the pandemic, pupil absence has become a priority both for schools and nationally. Join this webinar to gain insights from innovative schools and exchange ideas and strategies with peers.

Join us at this event and purchase the attendance and punctuality programme by Friday 15 December 2023 and we’ll discount the fee by £185 – the equivalent of the member rate for this online event.

Find out about the event

Who is the programme for?

Schools, trusts and local authorities in all phases.

What’s involved?

SSAT’s audit tool provides a clear, comprehensive structure for the programme.

The audit focuses on 7 key areas for improving attendance. These include strategy, leadership, systems, monitoring, intervention and parental engagement.

Stage 1: School self-audit

This initial stage is best completed by involving a small group of key individuals responsible for leading this aspect of the school’s work.

  • Use the audit tool to examine, discuss, reflect on and rate practice.
  • Return your completed audit template to SSAT.
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Stage 2: Online meeting

Confirm the date for your 3 hour online meeting with an SSAT Education Lead. The school lead will set the agenda for the meeting, building in the opportunity for the SSAT Education lead to speak to key staff.

The meeting creates time to:

  • Gain fresh, independent perspective on practice, process and systems
  • Highlight issues, explore solutions and ask questions
  • Receive verbal feedback on your school’s current and planned approach to improving attendance and punctuality
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Stage 3: Follow-up report

  • A report detailing the findings on the meeting will be returned to the school within 10 days.
  • The report will highlight areas of good practice and suggest areas for further development.
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Timescale for completing the programme:

Our only requirement is that the whole process is completed within six months, after which no refunds will be issued.

The audit tool can be purchased separately

Accompanied by a set of self-assessment criteria, based on SSAT’s well-respected Framework for Exceptional Education, the detailed audit process provides an objective framework against which to rate your current practice as beginning, developing, embedding or transforming, and provides structure for subsequent development.

Audit tool Price
£129 plus VAT – Members
£179 plus VAT – Non-members

Purchase audit tool