Persistent absenteeism and exclusion from school are known to have a severe negative impact on the long-term outcomes of young people, affecting their education attainment as well as their likelihood of becoming involved in violence.
Schools are increasingly taking action to address this issue, and we understand that they are using different approaches to prevent/reduce persistent absence and exclusion, including in a pupil support unit or through internal alternative provision.
However, there is limited knowledge on the approaches being used and whether they are effective in reducing absence and exclusions.
A new NFER led study, in partnership with The Difference, funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), aims to gain insights into what secondary schools in England are doing in this area and then potentially identify the impact of different approaches. The study starts with a scoping stage comprising expert interviews, school case studies and a national survey of secondary schools. If this stage is successful in identifying distinct approaches, the research team plans to design an impact evaluation using data from the scoping stage.
