Improving attendance in Scotland's schools: equality impact assessment

Equality Impact Assessment for Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1: Improving Attendance in Scotland’s Schools

Title of policy: Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1: Improving Attendance in Scotland’s Schools

Summary of aims and desired outcomes of Policy:

The refreshed school attendance guidance, Included, engaged and involved part 1, will support schools and education authorities in the design, application and review of their attendance policies and procedures. It replaces the 2019 version of the guidance and reflects the issues and challenges that have emerged since then. The updated guidance will support relevant school and education authority staff to promote the importance of good attendance and work collaboratively with partners to identify and address barriers to attendance and engagement, leading to improved educational outcomes and experiences for children and young people.

The refreshed Included, engaged and involved:

• aligns to existing policy and legislation and makes clearer links to safeguarding and child protection
• reflects up-to-date data and evidence on attendance and engagement in Scotland’s schools as well as wider societal challenges which have impacted on school attendance such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis
• highlights supportive approaches and strategies to promote attendance and engagement including for pupils at risk of low attendance
• responds to emerging issues by providing new guidance on part-time timetables, updating guidance on persistent absence and strengthened guidance in response to concerns about children being in school but not in class

The refreshed guidance will contribute to the following national outcomes:

• “we grow up loved, safe and respected so that we realise our full potential”
• “we are well educated, skilled and able to contribute to society”
• “we live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe”
• “we respect, protect and fulfil human rights and live free from discrimination”
• “we tackle poverty by sharing opportunities, wealth and power more equally”

Directorate: Learning Directorate

Division: Improvement, Attainment and Wellbeing

Team: Health and Wellbeing in Schools

Executive summary

The Scottish Government has worked with partners to review the non-statutory school attendance guidance: Included, engaged and involved, part 1. The updated guidance sets out the national approach to promoting and managing attendance in Scottish schools. It is intended to support schools and education authorities to work collaboratively with pupils, parents and carers, and multi-agency partners to review their existing attendance policies, taking account of local circumstances, relevant legal responsibilities and to reflect emerging issues.

The EQIA considered a range of evidence to inform understanding of the key issues impacting pupils with protected characteristics, as well as parents and carers and ensure that these matters are appropriately reflected within the refreshed school attendance guidance. The assessment identified that the revised policy would be of positive benefit to pupils of school age in Scotland.

Background

The Relationships and behaviour in schools: national action plan, published in 2024, included a commitment to refresh Included, engaged and involved part 1. A working group to support the development of the guidance was established in May 2025.

The refreshed guidance sets out the national approach to promoting and managing attendance in Scottish schools. It seeks to respond to attendance and absence trends highlighted by national data. It reflects Education Scotland’s report Improving attendance: Understanding the issues and is informed by the key messages from engagement with children and young people and parents and carers. In addition, the updated guidance addresses emerging issues, such as an increase in the use of part-time timetables and concerns about pupils who are in school but not in class.

The Scope of the EQIA

A full EQIA was undertaken. It considered data relating to each of the protected characteristics as they apply to schools. In addition, the protected characteristic of age was also considered recognising that the factors influencing school attendance can vary depending on the age and stage of the pupil. The assessment also considered the three Public Sector Equality Duties.

The EQIA drew on a range of statistical information, including from Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland 2024, Pupil and teacher characteristics 2025, School attendance, absence and exclusions statistics 2024-25, Public Health Scotland data and Scotland’s Census 2022.

Key issues raised in the Behaviour in Scottish schools: research report 2023, Who Cares Scotland’s report “Exclusion labelled as support” Care Experienced children in Scotland’s education system and Education Scotland’s report, Improving attendance: Understanding the issues, were also considered. Evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school attendance was considered. This included Young Scot’s What I Need to Learn Survey Report and the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee’s report on the Impact of Covid-19 on children and young people (2022) and its report on the Additional Support for Learning inquiry (2024).

The EQIA and refreshed guidance were informed by engagement with practitioners and stakeholders. This included engagement with the School Attendance Working Group and the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS).

Engagement with children and young people and parents and carers played a key role in shaping both the EQIA and refreshed guidance. Relevant evidence included Connect's survey on School Attendance: Hearing from Families about Supporting Children, independent research with pupils, parents and carers undertaken as part of development of the national marketing campaign on school attendance and engagement with young people aged 10-16 carried out by Quarriers’ REACH service to support development of the guidance.

Key Findings

Overall, the refreshed guidance is expected to have a positive impact on children and young people and parents and carers across the relevant protected characteristics. It is also expected that there will also be positive effect in terms of the three Public Sector Equality Duties.

The statistical evidence shows that, following a period of relative stability, there has been a reduction in overall attendance levels amongst children and young people since the 2020/21 academic session. Attendance varies across pupil groups, including by age, sex, ethnicity, disability and additional support need. Attendance is lower in secondary than in primary schools and is lower among pupils with an additional support need, compared to those without. There has been an increase in the persistent absence rate^[1] amongst children and young people since the 2020/21 academic session. The persistent absence rate is higher in secondary school than in primary school. It is also higher for children and young people with an additional support need.

Evidence indicates that poverty can impact school attendance, with statistics indicating that pupils living in more deprived areas have lower attendance rates than their peers. While deprivation is not a protected characteristic, evidence^[2] highlights that poverty can intersect with protected characteristics to compound disadvantage and increase the risk of low school attendance.

Education Scotland’s report, Improving attendance: Understanding the issues highlights that there are certain groups of children and young people who are more vulnerable to low attendance. This includes children and young people impacted by poverty, secondary-aged pupils, children and young people from Gypsy and Traveller communities, children and young people with additional support needs, care-experienced children and young people and those who have experienced exclusion.

The report and evidence from engagement with children and young people and parents and carers highlights that the reasons for non-attendance are varied and complex and can include a combination of circumstances including individual, peer, family and school factors.

The refreshed school attendance guidance makes clear that children and young people play a key role, alongside parents, carers and school staff, in shaping school attendance policies. It encourages schools to communicate clearly and sensitively with families, raising awareness of attendance and absence without creating stigma or barriers to engagement.

The guidance is framed within the Equality Act 2010, the Additional Support for Learning (Scotland) Act 2004 and GIRFEC. Across all protected characteristics, it emphasises early identification of need and the use of compassionate, flexible approaches. It encourages schools and education authorities to identify the underlying causes of absence and use relevant attendance data and other information to help identify where further support or resources may be needed.

The guidance promotes inclusive practice through consideration of individual circumstances and the use of targeted, staged intervention. It recognises that some children and young people may be more vulnerable to low attendance or face complex barriers. It sets out a range of supportive strategies and bespoke approaches to support their attendance, engagement and achievement. It encourages personalised learning pathways that reflect individual needs, interests, and aspirations to help each child or young person reach their full potential and achieve positive outcomes.

A central theme of the guidance is the importance of a supportive whole‑school culture. It recognises that positive relationships, a strong sense of belonging, and respect for diversity are all essential to improving attendance. The guidance recognises that some children and young people may face barriers linked to bullying, mental health or experiences of stigma. It aligns with national anti‑bullying and safeguarding frameworks to ensure that children and young people feel safe, included and supported at school.

The guidance recognises the important role that parents and carers play in their child’s school attendance. It encourages schools to actively consult with them to inform school attendance policies, ensuring engagement includes families from a diverse range of backgrounds. It encourages schools to ensure communication with parents and carers is accessible, inclusive and sensitive to different needs, including those arising from a disability, communication or language barrier.

The guidance highlights the importance of understanding and responding to the diverse circumstances of Scotland’s children and families. This includes recognising cultural or religious observance, family mobility, community identity, and the particular needs of groups who may face greater barriers to attendance, such as Gypsy Traveller families.

Recommendations and Conclusion

The Equality Impact analysis has supported understanding of issues that impact pupils, parents and carers with protected characteristics and has helped to ensure that these matters are reflected within the guidance on school attendance.

Assessment and analysis of the equality impact has concluded that the guidance will have positive impacts on pupils and their families. It will improve outcomes for communities and support the removal of barriers to learning to ensure that pupils can participate and engage with their school education.

The implementation of the guidance will be monitored by SAGRABIS as part of their overall responsibility for the Relationships and behaviour in schools: national action plan. School attendance statistics and trends will be monitored through Summary statistics for schools in Scotland data. New measures have also been added to the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research to capture data and trends relevant to attendance and engagement such as pupils being in school but not in class.