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Pupils and parents :Absence and attendance :Strategies for managing attendance :

Top tips for improving attendance

Use our practical tips to help tackle poor attendance in your school. While these aren't intended to be a quick fix, you can put most of them into practice without overhauling your whole strategy.

Last reviewed on 7 March 2023

School types: All · School phases: All

Ref: 44343

Contents

Instil a staff mindset of high expectations around attendance
Establish a senior leadership team presence around school
Make good attendance everyone's responsibility
Give pupils a purpose to be in school each day
Offer pupils the tools to come to school
Provide secure conditions for learning
Use your exciting curriculum to entice pupils
Anticipate family patterns
Appoint an attendance lead who’s passionate about high expectations
Include clear stages of action in your policy
Further reading on improving attendance

The guidance in this article comes from

Our expert Nina Siddall-Ward
The DfE's guidance on working together to improve school attendance - read our summary of updates
The DfE's guidance on mental health affecting a pupil's attendance
Ofsted’s report on securing good attendance

Instil a staff mindset of high expectations around attendance

Having all of your staff on board will help to make sure your approach to your attendance policy is consistent throughout your school. To do this:

Make sure staff are aware that mental health needs can be a barrier

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