Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1: Improving Attendance in Scotland's Schools

Whole-school approach to supporting attendance

An inclusive and supportive culture is essential to support children and young people’s learning and their attendance and engagement at school. Children and young people who have positive relationships with their peers and adults and feel safe, included and engaged, are more likely to attend school regularly. It is therefore vital that school attendance policies are set within an inclusive and supportive whole-school culture that is responsive to the diverse needs of all children and young people. Such a culture is also necessary so that barriers to attendance and engagement can be identified, understood and addressed at an early stage to ensure that all children and young people can get the support that they need to reach their full potential.

All those who are involved in the education of children and young people, including pupils themselves, are vital partners, working together to improve outcomes for children and young people. Education authorities have a legal duty to promote the involvement of parents in the education of their children.^[4] Parent Councils play an important role in the development and implementation of school policies and education authorities have a legal duty to promote the establishment of and support the operation of Parent Councils.^[5]

Teachers and school staff are also key partners. They should be given time to contribute meaningfully to the development and review of attendance and absence policies and be empowered to implement these policies to support a positive, whole school culture that is founded on positive relationships and behaviour. Partner agencies such as health and social work also play a crucial role in supporting children and young people and families, working collaboratively with schools and education authorities to ensure a holistic approach to improving attendance and engagement.

The views of children, young people and parents

The views of children and young people and parents have been central to the development of Included, Engaged and Involved, part 1.

Young people shared a range of experiences and insights about school attendance.^[6] They told us:

Feeling welcomed and supported makes a difference

They value being welcomed by staff, spending time with friends, being able to access nurture, or other spaces, and having supportive teachers who listen to them and understand their needs.

Barriers to attendance are complex and individual

These could include mental and physical health challenges. Young people also talked about experiences of feeling judged or misunderstood, being bullied, or not receiving the support they need. Young people highlighted that there is a difference between absence due to illness or disability and absence linked to behaviour.

Some things helped when returning to school and some things didn’t

Young people spoke about their motivations for attending school, mentioning things like wanting to get qualifications and employment in the future. Positive and supportive relationships with teachers, flexible timetables and access to external services were seen as key supports, while pressure to return full-time and lack of safe spaces made things harder.

How attendance is spoken about matters

Some young people spoke about feeling anxious, demotivated or judged by their school’s attendance messaging. They also spoke about the impact this could have on their confidence and motivation. They want messaging to avoid ‘ableist’^[7] assumptions.

Young people want to be heard

They want decision-makers to spend time in schools, listen to their experiences, and recognise the impact of poverty, pressure, and peer dynamics on attendance.

Importantly, their key messages were:

• attendance incentives must recognise disability and mental health related absence as distinct from disengagement
• relational and flexible approaches work better than punitive ones
• schools need resources to build capacity for nurture and wellbeing
• national messaging should avoid ‘ableist’ assumptions linking attendance to worth
• poverty and inequality are major, often overlooked drivers of non-attendance. Tackling attendance requires tackling poverty

As part of a rights-based approach, schools should ensure that the views of children and young people are central, with opportunities for them to contribute meaningfully to the development and review of their attendance policies. Education Scotland’s guidance on learner participation in educational settings and their Youth Voice Toolkit can support this approach.

Parents from across Scotland also shared their experiences and concerns about school attendance.^[8]

They told us:

A number of factors support attendance

Parents highlighted that strong relationships with school staff, access to subjects that interest their children, friendships and feeling safe and supported are key motivators for attendance.

Parents and pupils are partners

Parents value consistent, kind and compassionate communication with schools. They value staff who listen and work with them to understand concerns and support their child.

Support during absence matters

Parents highlighted the importance of ongoing support during and after long-term absences. This included things like regular contact with trusted staff and being involved in planning for their child’s return to school.

Tailored approaches are key

Parents highlighted the importance of individualised support that reflects their child’s needs, especially for those with additional support needs and/or mental health challenges. They felt that ensuring appropriate resources, providing support such as flexible timetables or access to quiet spaces and having a strong anti-bullying approach were all things that could support their child’s attendance and help them to achieve.

Working with the wider parent body to support attendance

Schools should actively consult with the wider parent body to inform the development of their school attendance policy and procedures and better understand any potential barriers that may exist locally. This engagement should include families from a diverse a range of backgrounds to ensure that all voices are heard and always involve two-way communication, providing genuine opportunities for parental views to influence policy development. The Parent Council can play an important role in engagement with the wider parent body on attendance related issues. They can also contribute to the design and delivery of initiatives that encourage regular school attendance.

Education Scotland offers a range of resources to support this, including guidance on supporting communication with parents and a toolkit on engaging parents and families.

Guiding Principles

Approaches to attendance should be informed by the following guiding principles:

• all children and young people have a right to education. Parents and education authorities have a responsibility to ensure that this right is fulfilled in a way that best meets the needs of the child or young person
• parents have a legal duty to provide their child with efficient and suitable education. This can be through school attendance or other suitable means
• education authorities have a duty to provide education to children and young people in their area
• schools should actively and meaningfully engage with parents, working with them to try to ensure that any barriers to good attendance are removed
• all children and young people have the right to get the support they need to benefit fully from their education and fulfil their potential
• all children and young people are to be included, engaged and involved in their learning. Children and young people should be given opportunities to fully engage and participate in the life of their school in order to encourage good attendance
• all children and young people have the right to have their views heard and taken into account
• schools and partners should work collaboratively to promote and support good attendance
• the foundation for schools, learning establishments and education authorities is a focus on positive relationships and an inclusive ethos and culture that promotes good attendance. Attendance should not be considered in isolation from other policies
• partner services and agencies should work collaboratively with schools to improve whole family support