Work ongoing to improve school attendance rates

A worldwide pandemic, what seems like a never-ending onslaught of bugs, a cost-of-living crisis and a period of industrial action has impacted on children and young people attending at schools across the nation, and Orkney is no different.

Since Covid, schools in the county have seen lower levels of attendance overall – from 95.6% in 2018/19 (just above the Scottish average) to 91% at present – the same as the Scottish average.

There are a number of potential reasons for this – some pupil and parental anxiety following the pandemic period and return to school, an increase in sickness absences following the pandemic, to a much lesser degree the recent industrial action and there will be other more complex factors.

All educators want the very best for their pupils – in terms of educational outcomes but also social and mental wellbeing factors – and attendance rates are linked to all.

Some initial studies show that poor attendance – missing 10% or four weeks over the course of a year - has been linked to lower levels of attainment; peer relationships; emotional and behavioural difficulties, poorer employment opportunities and involvement in offending behaviour.

Attendance and participation with school can also be considered as protective factors for children and young people experiencing adversity or trauma and can support early intervention.

An updated attendance policy was brought before members of the OIC Education, Leisure and Housing Committee today where it received the support of Councillors.

Corporate Director of Education, Leisure and Housing, James Wylie, said: “At the heart of the policy is to ensure as much support as possible is given to parents/carers and pupils to ensure children and young people attend at school as regularly as possible, what the potential impacts are of not doing this, and the measures that can be taken to help make it happen.

“There are many complex factors relating to the absence of some of our children and young people and the schools and Education Team are working closely with parents/carers and pupils to support them back into their settings.

“We are also being told anecdotally that illnesses and bugs have been a constant for many families since the world reopened following the pandemic and this has had a considerable impact on attendance rates.

“We have a responsibility to our children and young people to support them back into school, to make everyone aware of the potential damage that is being done when that does not happen and to share our procedures if there’s a persistence to ignore what is a legal requirement for children and young people to receive an education.

“This policy and our tracking of attendance across Orkney forms a key pillar of the Inclusion and Wellbeing improvement priorities and is a vital measure for overall wellbeing within schools.”

The draft Guidance details:

• The legal responsibility of parents/carers as it relates to their child’s attendance at school.

• Reasons for school absence and encourages parents/carers to work closely with schools during periods of absence.

• Clear informa tion for schools and parents/carers regarding the new structure for monitoring attendance in school, steps schools should take to support children and young people and families to improve school attendance.

• Clear information for schools and parents/carers to monitor late arrivals and children who do not attend lessons during the school day as well as setting out supportive interventions when punctuality becomes an issue.

• How the Education Section will work with external partners to support children, young people and parents/carers through periods of poor attendance at school. This does not apply to early years where there is no mandatory requirement to attend.

Mr Wylie continued: “This guidance explains the responsibilities Education, Leisure and Housing Service have along with schools to monitor and track the attendance of children and young people in school and what actions can be taken if attendance is or becomes a cause for concern.

“We will always endeavour to make improvements at an early stage, but it important that parents and carers and staff are aware of the process moving forward if early intervention does not work.

“While there are measures that can be taken through the Education (Scotland) Act these would only be invoked if all others had failed. The legal avenues available include making an attendance order, pursuing non-attendance through the courts, making a referral to the Children’s Reporter, where there are other worries about a child on top of not attending school.

“It is important to stress that we are here to work with and support parents/carers and pupils back into school for the benefit of all.

“Good attendance promotes the best learning opportunities, punctuality and reliability; all valuable attributes for ongoing learning, life in general and for success within the world of work.

“Regular attendance at school also helps to build strong and positive relationships with students and staff alike which can act as protective factors when facing difficult times.”

What is an authorised absence?

As long as the school has been informed of the reason for the valid absence, then this would be classed as an ‘authorised absence’.

The following are valid reasons for absence:

• The child or young person is ill or has ongoing/long term health issues.
• The child or young person is attending a doctor or other medical appointment.
• The child or young person is going to a meeting about a Children’s Hearing or court, or if they are going to a Children’s Hearing, care review or court.
• Someone close to the child or young person has died.
• There is a crisis or serious difficulty at home or in the family.
• The child or young person is going to a religious ceremony or a wedding of someone very close to them.
• The child or young person has extended leave with parental consent, for example: extended overseas educational trips not organised by the school; short-term parental placement abroad; parental leave (where they are members of armed forces or emergency services and periods of leave have previously been restricted) or family returning to its country of origin (to care for relative, or for cultural reasons).

There may be other reasons that a child or young person might be absent, such as bullying, feeling isolated or being unable to access the curriculum. If this is the case, schools will work with parents/carers and the child or young person to resolve the issues to support a return to school.

What do I do if my child is representing Orkney at an event and needs time off?

If children and young people are involved in an activity that means that they need time off school, e.g. representing Orkney in a sporting event, then the school will give consideration to the impact of this absence on the child or young person’s learning when making a decision as to whether or not this is authorised. Authorisation will usually only be considered where the child or young person’s attendance is above 90%.

What do I do if my child is going to be off school for one of the reasons above?

Parents/carers must follow the school’s procedures for reporting an absence by the agreed time on the first day of absence. For secondary-aged young people, this is 9am and 9.30am for primary children.

What happens if I forget to notify the school?

If schools have not received notification of an absence before the agreed time parents/carers will be contacted through the agreed procedures involving texting/phoning between 10-11am.

If parents/carers cannot be contacted, then schools/nurseries will move to contacting the child’s/young person’s emergency contacts and, if Social Work are the lead professional, they will be notified too between 11am-12noon. This is to ensure the safety of our children and young people. If contact cannot be made with either the parents/carers or the emergency contacts by noon, names will be given to the Education Service, who will pass on any concerning cases to Police Scotland.

Are term time holidays allowed?

We strongly encourage parents not to take their children out of school for family holidays. Schools will not normally give permission for this and it may be recorded recorded as an unauthorised absence.

Only in very exceptional circumstances can holidays be authorised.

What happens if my child is late for school?

School staff will monitor late arrivals in the same way as attendance and will take action to work with parents/carers to improve the arrival times for children and young people. Children and young people are expected to be in school at the official opening time for the school so any child/young person arriving after this time will be marked late and parents/carers will be notified by text message. Where a child or young person has a pattern of lateness, parents/carers will be informed via text message and/or letter and, where needed, invited in for a meeting to agree an action plan.

What will happen if my child is off school for more than 10% or four weeks within a year?

Where attendance falls below 90%, schools will look at absences closely and work in partnership with parents/carers on improving the attendance of the child or young person.

In a small number of cases, there may be a clear reason for attendance to fall below 90%, e.g. significant long-term illness, the family is returning to a country of origin for cultural reasons or to care for a relative, and where this information is known to the school, they will take a proportionate response.

However, there may be gaps in attendance that the school cannot account for, and they then need to take action. Schools will offer support to the child/young person and their parents/carers, agreeing actions for improvement.

What about attendance rates of young people who are past school leaving age?

Where young people choose to stay on at school to take further studies, the expectations for attendance and arriving on time remain the same as for all children and young people as per these guidelines. 

Could a parent/carer be fined or end up in court if my child falls below a certain attendance level?

If communication breaks down between parents/carers and the local authority, and the problem of non-attendance remains, then the council can decide that they have done enough to support a child but a parent/carer is not doing what they can.

In these circumstances the local authority can use the law to insist that a parent does more to get their child to school.

The legal avenues available include the following making an attendance order, pursuing non-attendance through the courts, making a referral to the Children’s Reporter, where there are other worries about a child on top of not attending school.

What is an Attendance Order?

The Council is committed to ensuring that efforts to improve outcomes for children in relation to attendance are progressed quickly and involve an appropriate and proportionate level of intervention. Measures for compulsion are expensive processes which are time consuming and can lead to further unnecessary interventions into family life. Measures for compulsion can be used when efforts to engage children and families in voluntary measures to improve attendance have failed.

Is this not a bit heavy handed?

Every attempt is made to avoid any legal route and these measures would only be followed if all other avenues had failed. The most important thing is that every child and young person gets the education and support they are entitled to.

Does this apply to early learning and childcare settings, including nurseries and childminders?

Early Learning and childcare is non-statutory, which means there is no legal obligation for children to attend.