An expansion of the Attendance Hubs and Attendance Mentors initiatives will target areas with high levels of pupil absence and comes after successful pilots last year.
However, schools while welcoming the decision, are pleading with ministers to invest in the specialist support services, including Education Welfare Officers and wider mental health support, that they say many pupils require to overcome their barriers to attendance.
The Department for Education (DfE) said on Thursday (May 18) that it would be designating schools to lead nine new Attendance Hubs. The Attendance Hub approach was piloted last year at North Shore Academy, part of the Northern Education Trust in the North East. It is hoped the new hubs will be able to support up to 600 schools to improve attendance by sharing effective practice and practical resources.
During the pilot, North Shore Academy improved its own pupil attendance rates to above national averages. The DfE says that a number of schools participating in the pilot hub also saw “significant improvements”.
