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

Identifying and supporting children and young people who are vulnerable to low attendance

Some children and young people will face barriers to attendance and engagement that require targeted intervention and support in addition to universal approaches that a school has in place. Poor attendance often signals underlying needs and challenges. This could include a combination of factors arising from poverty, unmet needs, challenges in the learning environment, difficulties in peer or staff relationships, issues at home or in the community, or mental health difficulties, including anxiety.

Gaining a clear understanding of the specific barriers affecting attendance or engagement is essential to ensuring that appropriate and effective support and interventions are put in place. It is important to recognise that these barriers may affect children and young people differently, and at different times. For example, specific subjects or activities may present unique challenges depending on a child or young person’s circumstances, needs, interests, or experiences.

Children and young people with additional support needs

Children and young people with additional support needs^[11] may face barriers to their attendance and engagement. In addition, children and young people who are struggling to attend or are disengaged may be more likely to require additional support to overcome barriers to their learning.

Providing additional support may help children and young people to engage more fully with school and support them to attend regularly. Schools should use their staged intervention processes and work with relevant multi-agency partners to ensure that any barriers to learning are identified, and appropriate support is provided and reviewed regularly.

Public schools must consider their legal duties under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (“the 2004 Act”) to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. In addition, schools must consider their duties under the Equality Act 2010 to prevent discrimination based on protected characteristics^[12] and provide reasonable adjustments for children and young people who have a disability.^{[13] [14]} The requirement to provide reasonable adjustments is anticipatory therefore schools “need to think in advance about what disabled children and young people might require and what adjustments might need to be made for them”.^[15] Meeting these statutory obligations requires careful planning and the effective use of available resources.

Under the 2004 Act, children and young people who are Care-experienced^[16] are presumed to have an additional support need, unless an assessment concludes otherwise. Schools should ensure that their attendance policies support Care-experienced children and young people to participate fully at school and, working with relevant multi-agency partners, take action to address particular barriers to attendance that these children and young people may face. This should be considered within the context of responsibilities placed on local authorities as “corporate parents”^[17] and actions to Keep the Promise.

Young carers may also require additional support. Evidence highlights that young carers may be more at risk of low attendance.^[18] Schools should ensure that their needs are identified and in line with GIRFEC, work with families and relevant agencies to provide flexible support that supports their attendance and engagement.

Guidance on supporting children and young people with additional support needs is available in the Supporting Children’s Learning Code of Practice. Further resources are included in the signposting and resources section of this guidance.

Children and young people from Gypsy Traveller communities

Children and young people from Gypsy Traveller communities can face significant barriers to attendance and engagement. This can be due to a number of factors, such as cultural barriers, experiences of discrimination and bullying, lack of trust, frequent mobility and a perception that the curriculum is not culturally relevant or inclusive. Reduced attendance can significantly impact Gypsy Traveller children and young people’s access to consistent learning opportunities, contributing to lower levels of achievement and fewer qualifications compared to their peers, which can in turn affect future education, employment and life chances.^[19]

Among Gypsy Traveller families, there is a recognised trend of declining attendance towards the end of primary school with relatively few children and young people transitioning to secondary school. To help address this, schools should work with relevant partners to ensure that Gypsy Traveller families are supported to make informed choices and can access clear, up-to-date information about personalised approaches, including flexible arrangements for attendance and adapted timetables. Good communication and strong relationships from early years through primary and secondary education are also key. This ongoing support helps to build trust and confidence, providing families with reassurance that, following enrolment, schools will continue to respect and support their cultural values and decisions throughout their child’s education.

Resources designed to help schools and education authorities support flexible learning for children and young people from Gypsy Traveller communities are available from the Scottish Traveller Education Programme (STEP) and the Traveller Education Network Scotland (TENET). Further resources are also included in the signposting and resources section of this guidance. Guidance on recording absence of children and young people due to family mobility can be found within the authorised absence section of the guidance.

Children and young people impacted by poverty

Poverty can significantly impact school attendance and engagement. Children and young people affected by poverty may face barriers to accessing essentials such as food, clothing, and digital resources, alongside emotional pressures and family responsibilities. These challenges can lead to disrupted learning, lower participation, and reduced attainment and achievement. Evidence^[20] also tells us that children and young people impacted by poverty are more likely to have an additional support need, have experienced care or have caring responsibilities.

Schools should recognise and respond to poverty-related barriers, considering their interconnections and work sensitively with children and young people, parents and partners to help mitigate their impact. This should be underpinned by a multi-agency approach and considered as part of wider efforts to tackle child poverty and reduce the cost of the school day. Schools may wish to consider raising awareness of available support such as the Scottish Child Payment, Free School Meals and the School Clothing Grant and signposting parents to agencies where they can receive clear, accessible information about financial and other assistance. Further information is provided in the signposting and resources section of this guidance.

Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) can support improved attendance and engagement. Some schools have used PEF to provide additional staff who have a specific focus on attendance or family engagement, to design nurture spaces, to develop personalised curriculum pathways, or to enhance tracking and monitoring of attendance. The 2025 Pupil Equity Funding Report provides examples of how PEF has been used in individual schools to support some of these targeted approaches.

Children and young people who have been excluded

Children and young people who have experienced exclusion may be more at risk of low attendance following this. Being excluded from school is correlated with poor mental and physical health, substance abuse, antisocial behaviour, crime, low academic achievement and post-education with unemployment and homelessness. It is also important to recognise that some children and young people may be more at risk of exclusion. This may include children and young people who have an additional support need, are Care-experienced and those impacted by poverty.

Exclusion from school should only be used as a last resort and should be a proportionate response where there is no alternative. Safeguarding and wellbeing should be prioritised for any child or young person who has been excluded or has low attendance. It is important that a child or young person’s views and those of their parents are taken into account.

Further information on school exclusion policy can be found in Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing Exclusions.