School Attendance Officer
£ 299.00
Do you know how to improve and develop skills so as to effectively monitor and manage students’ school attendance?
This course provides insights to help you explore and understand roles and responsibilities of schools and local authorities when it comes to students' school attendance. You will access current approaches for keeping pupil attendance registers. By the end of this course, you’ll have a deeper understanding of attendance as a potential indicator of neglect or abuse and how important it is to monitor CME factors.
CPD Certification
Our course has obtained complete certification from the CPD, demonstrating our dedication to providing excellent education. The accreditation from the CPD serves as evidence of our commitment to delivering high-quality learning experiences.
What does the data tell us about school attendance?
The attendance rate across all schools in England was 92.6% in the week commencing 6th February 2023, up from the Autumn term average of 92.1%.
National Teachers Strike that took place on 1st February 2023 had a negative effect on attendance rates. On this day, attendance dropped to 43%, despite 90% of schools remaining open in some capacity.
The latest data also shows the proportion of students who were persistently absent (those who missed 10% or more of their possible sessions). Across the year to date, 23.4% of students were persistently absent – this was driven by high rates of illness towards the end of the Autumn term.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of schools and local authorities regarding attendance management.
- Comprehend the legal framework governing attendance and enforcement measures for non-school attendance.
- Recognise the importance of parental responsibility and its impact on student attendance.
- Understand the statutory school age and its significance in ensuring compliance with attendance laws.
- Apply accurate methods for keeping pupil attendance registers and using absence and attendance codes effectively.
- Implement strategies to address challenges associated with poor register taking and ensure lesson monitoring.
- Establish procedures for first-day calling and managing absences effectively.
- Identify attendance as a potential indicator of neglect and comprehend the policies and procedures related to children missing education.
- Develop a comprehensive school policy and approach to improve attendance, considering roles, responsibilities, and consultation with parents.
- Analyse attendance data at the individual, group, and whole school levels to identify patterns and trends.
- Produce reports based on attendance data analysis to inform decision-making and intervention strategies.
- Understand the inspection framework in relation to attendance and effectively communicate attendance-related information during inspections.
- Utilise an escalating approach and work collaboratively with parents, conducting home visits and chairing meetings to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence.
- Recognise the reasons and causes behind persistent absence and implement appropriate assessment strategies, considering special educational needs (SEN), mental health, and school refusal.
- Address concerns about punctuality by recording and monitoring late arrivals, implementing strategies for individual children, and adopting whole school approaches.
- Develop strategies for reintegration from long-term absences, considering health, mental health, special educational needs (SEN), and specific challenges associated with reintegrating after closure.
- Expand knowledge about safe and well checks/visits, focusing on safeguarding children during home visits and maintaining contact during extended absences.
Course author:
Joanne Sierzega
Central School Attendance and Welfare Service
In October 2015 after almost 16 years of working for and in turn managing a Local Authority Education Welfare Department I, along with two partners, established CSAWS (Central School Attendance and Welfare Service). Member of the Association for Education Welfare Management.
Categories and indicators of poor attendance, safeguarding and children missing school.
“Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.”
(‘Keeping children safe in education’, Department for Education (DfE), 2022)
“All school staff should be aware that abuse, neglect and safeguarding issues are rarely standalone events that can be covered by one definition or label.”
(Keeping children safe in education, 2022)
“There is a considerable impact on the safety and well-being of children and young people who experience domestic abuse both directly and indirectly and the impact of this can be significant in terms of their emotional, behavioural, cognitive and physical wellbeing.”
(Solihull LSCP domestic abuse procedures)
What will you gain by taking part in the course?
New, current threads
During the lectures of this course you will gain full insights and step-by-step guidance that will help you to understand the importance of student attendance and the roles and responsibilities of schools and local authorities to monitor and support children in schools.
New skills
Gain practical skills to develop a whole school policy approach to improve students attendance. Explore theory and legislation related to keeping a register of all pupils. Identify strategies to support individual children with persistent absence. Learn how to communicate and collaborate with parents, families and local authorities.
Practice
The course covers a range of areas related to students’ school attendance. The course will increase the learner’s understanding of legislation related to this area and also introduce suggested practice to individuals working with limited attendance children or CME.
Availability
You will have access to all materials in a convenient form online around the clock, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, so you can learn how you want, where you want and when you want by using downloadable resources such as notes, videos, slides, factsheets, assessments and highlighted key points.
About UniqSkills
UniqSkills helps individuals to reach their full potential with its extensive course selection, professional instructors, flexibility, engaging learning experiences, supportive community, and commitment to lifelong learning.
Certification
Our course has obtained complete certification from the CPD, demonstrating our dedication to providing excellent education. The accreditation from the CPD serves as evidence of our commitment to delivering high-quality learning experiences. It assures you that our course adheres to the rigorous standards established by the CPD, which is widely recognised as a prestigious measure of excellence in learning and development.
Once you have completed the course and passed the course test you will receive a personal document confirming participation in the course.
You will be able to download your certificate of completion from 'my panel' on the UniqSkills platform and share your new skills online with potential employers, and your professional network.
Syllabus:
- Attendance and the law:
- Attendance and the law - keeping pupil registers:
- Attendance, safeguarding and CME:
- Developing a whole school policy and approach to improve school attendance:
- Understanding and using attendance data:
- Attendance and inspection:
- Working with children and families and others to improve attendance and reduce PA:
- Understanding the reasons for persistent absence (PA) and poor attendance:
- Addressing concerns about punctuality:
- Reintegration from long-term absences:
- Safe and well checks/visits:
Module 1: Attendance and the law
Learn about the roles and responsibilities of schools and local authorities, understand the legal framework governing attendance, and explore the enforcement measures related to non-school attendance.
- Roles and responsibilities of Schools and Local Authorities
- The Legal Framework Parental Responsibility Statutory
- School Age
- The law and enforcement in relation to non-school attendance
- Code of Conduct for Issue of Penalty Notices
- Roles and responsibilities of Schools and Local Authorities
Module 2: Attendance and the law- keeping pupil registers:
Discover the legal requirements for keeping pupil attendance registers, master the accurate use of absence and attendance codes, and gain strategies to challenge poor register taking and ensure effective lesson monitoring.
- Legal requirements for keeping Pupil Attendance Registers
- Accurate use of absence and attendance codes
- Housekeeping and challenging poor register taking
- Lesson monitoring
- First day calling/absence procedures
Module 3: Attendance, safeguarding and CME:
Understand how attendance can serve as an indicator of neglect, learn about policies and procedures related to children missing education, and explore the intersection of attendance and safeguarding.
- Understanding Attendance as a potential indicator or abuse of Neglect
- Children Missing Education
- Policy and Procedures
Module 4: Developing a whole school policy and approach to improve school attendance:
Develop a comprehensive school policy to enhance attendance, define roles and responsibilities, and learn effective consultation techniques with parents to foster a collaborative approach.
- Understanding Attendance as a potential indicator or abuse of Neglect
- Children Missing Education
- Policy and Procedures
- Module 4 - Developing a whole school policy and approach to improve school attendance
- School Policy
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Contents
- Consultation with Parents
Module 5: Understanding and using attendance data
Gain insights into analyzing attendance data at various levels (individual, groups, and whole school), identify patterns and trends, and learn to produce informative reports for informed decision-making.
- Individual
- Groups and whole school
- Understanding data
- Identifying patterns and trends
- Producing reports
Module 6: Attendance and inspection
Understand the inspection framework in relation to attendance, prepare for inspections, improve communication practices, and effectively implement strategies to meet inspection requirements.
- Understanding the Inspection Framework in relation to attendance
- Pre and Post Ofsted
- Communication
- Implementation
Module 7: Working with children and families and others to improve attendance and reduce PA
Discover an escalating approach to improving attendance, develop skills to work collaboratively with parents, conduct effective home visits, chair meetings, and create assessment and action plans for intervention.
- Escalating approach
- Working with parents
- Home visits
- Chairing Meetings
- Assessment and Action Plans
- Multi Agency Working
Module 8: Understanding the reasons for persistent absence (PA) and poor attendance
Gain a deep understanding of persistent absence as a measure, identify reasons and causes of persistent absence, assess complex cases, and explore the relationship between persistent absence and special educational needs (SEN), mental health, and school refusal.
- Understanding Persistent absence as a measure
- Understanding the reasons for and causes of Persistent Absence
- Assessment in complex cases
- PA and SEN
- PA and Mental Health
- PA and School Refusal
Module 9: Addressing concerns about punctuality
Learn strategies for recording and monitoring late arrivals, explore approaches to improve punctuality for individual children, and discover whole school strategies for enhancing punctuality.
- Recording and Monitoring late arrivals
- Strategies for improving punctuality for individual children
- Whole School Approaches to improving Punctuality
Module 10: Reintegration from long-term absences
Develop strategies for successful reintegration considering health, mental health, special educational needs (SEN), and specific challenges associated with reintegrating after closures or long absences.
- Strategies around health
- Mental health
- SEN
- Best practice
- Specific challenges and issues to address reintegrating from closure
Module 11: Safe and well checks/visits
Expand knowledge on home visits for safeguarding children, maintain contact during periods of long absence, and address specific challenges related to reintegrating from closure or extended absences.
- Expansion on home visiting that addresses home visits for safeguarding children
- Maintaining contact in periods of long absence.
- Specific challenges and issues to address reintegrating from closure
How do customers rate the course?
Course provided me with invaluable insights into the importance of regular school attendance and the impact it has on student success.
Teacher
I recently completed the school attendance course and was impressed with the depth of knowledge and practical strategies provided
Teacher
Incredibly helpful in teaching me strategies to improve my child's attendance.
Teacher
School Attendance Officer
- CPD accreditation
- Expert Trainer
- Certificate of completion
- 24/7 access to a modern platform
- Access on mobile and tablets
- 13 hours of on-demand bite-sized videos
- Notes and factsheets
- List of discussion topics and links for further reading
- Downloadable resources
- Multiple-choice test
- Suggested study: 12 weeks, 4hrs per week
Course Quality Guarantee ✔
