Guidance Working together to improve attendance in Schools

 

Working Together to Improve School Attendance: July 2026

Practical actions for school leaders, attendance leads, DSLs and governors 2026–2027

Executive summary

The July 2026 edition of Working Together to Improve School Attendance reinforces the Department for Education expectation that attendance is everyone’s responsibility. While the core principles remain unchanged, the guidance continues to place significant emphasis on early intervention, support-first practice, attendance leadership, multi-agency working and the strategic use of attendance data. For schools, attendance should no longer be viewed simply as an operational function. It should be considered a safeguarding priority, a school improvement priority and a leadership priority. School leaders are expected to identify concerns early, understand barriers quickly and implement proportionate support before patterns become entrenched.

What has changed and what remains important?

The updated guidance continues to emphasise prevention rather than reaction. Schools are expected to develop strong attendance cultures, build positive relationships with families and ensure attendance data is routinely reviewed at individual, cohort and whole-school level. The guidance further highlights the importance of supporting pupils experiencing mental health difficulties, SEND-related barriers, medical needs, social care involvement and emotionally based school avoidance. Attendance Hubs, RISE support and local authority attendance teams continue to be important mechanisms for sharing effective practice.

Why attendance matters

Attendance is one of the strongest indicators of educational engagement and future outcomes. Pupils who attend school regularly are more likely to achieve well academically, develop positive social relationships and access wider opportunities. Conversely, poor attendance is associated with lower attainment, reduced wellbeing and increased vulnerability. Attendance concerns can also indicate wider safeguarding issues, including neglect, domestic abuse, exploitation, bullying, emotional wellbeing concerns and unmet SEND needs. School leaders should therefore ensure attendance information is routinely considered alongside safeguarding, behaviour and pastoral intelligence.

Practical actions for Headteachers and senior leaders

Headteachers should appoint a visible attendance champion with sufficient authority to drive improvement. Leaders should establish weekly attendance review meetings, maintain attendance watchlists and ensure attendance is discussed routinely at safeguarding, behaviour and SEND meetings. Schools should identify pupils below 95% attendance as an emerging concern rather than waiting until the persistent absence threshold is reached. Attendance plans should include clear actions, identified barriers, timescales and review arrangements. Leaders should also evaluate interventions against measurable outcomes and discontinue approaches that are not demonstrating impact.

Persistent and severe absence

Persistent absence remains a significant challenge nationally. Pupils with attendance below 90% require targeted intervention and structured support. Schools should use attendance data proactively to identify patterns before persistent absence develops. Severe absence requires intensive intervention, regular review meetings and coordinated multi-agency support. Leaders should establish clear escalation pathways and ensure that high-risk cases receive appropriate oversight from senior leaders and safeguarding teams.

Attendance and safeguarding

Attendance concerns should always trigger professional curiosity. A reduction in attendance may indicate emerging safeguarding concerns. DSLs and attendance leaders should consider whether absence could be linked to family stress, child protection concerns, exploitation, online harms, bullying, mental health difficulties or unmet additional needs. Attendance information should be reviewed alongside safeguarding records, welfare concerns and contextual information. Schools should ensure that information sharing arrangements enable attendance concerns to be considered within wider safeguarding assessments.

Designated Safeguarding Leads

DSLs play a critical role in attendance improvement. They should analyse attendance information as part of safeguarding oversight, attend attendance review meetings where appropriate and ensure vulnerable pupils are prioritised. DSLs should pay particular attention to children in need, children subject to child protection plans, children in care, previously looked after children and pupils known to external safeguarding agencies. Persistent absence may be one of the earliest indicators that a child is experiencing additional vulnerabilities. DSLs should ensure attendance concerns are reflected within safeguarding chronologies and support plans. Regular quality assurance of attendance-related safeguarding practice should form part of safeguarding monitoring arrangements.

Supporting pupils with SEND

Schools should recognise that attendance difficulties experienced by pupils with SEND may arise from unmet needs, anxiety, sensory barriers, communication difficulties or inappropriate provision. Attendance responses should therefore be individualised. Attendance plans should align with SEND support arrangements and involve pupils, families and relevant professionals. Schools should consider reasonable adjustments, environmental adaptations and enhanced transition support where appropriate.

Emotionally based school avoidance

Emotionally Based School Avoidance continues to be a significant factor behind poor attendance for some pupils. Schools should seek to understand underlying barriers and avoid relying solely on behavioural responses. Effective practice includes early identification, family engagement, graduated reintegration planning, support from educational psychologists and mental health professionals and careful monitoring of progress. Responses should focus on reducing barriers and building resilience rather than creating dependence on alternative arrangements.

Working with families

Positive relationships with families remain central to the support-first approach. Schools should ensure communication is respectful, personalised and focused on problem-solving. Attendance conversations should aim to understand barriers, identify support and agree realistic actions. Generic letters rarely secure sustainable improvement in isolation. Schools should prioritise meaningful conversations and timely support.

The use of attendance data

Strong schools use attendance data intelligently and strategically. Attendance should be analysed by year group, class, vulnerable cohort, gender and other relevant characteristics. Leaders should assess trends by day of week, lesson, term and phase. Governors should routinely receive attendance reports that identify strengths, concerns and areas requiring further action. Attendance data should inform resource allocation and intervention planning.

Partnership working

Attendance improvement is rarely achieved by schools acting in isolation. Local authorities, early help services, health professionals, educational psychologists, social workers and voluntary sector organisations all have important roles. Schools should engage positively with attendance targeting meetings and contribute actively to multi-agency support plans. The most effective attendance strategies are often those that address underlying barriers rather than focusing exclusively on attendance itself.

Governors and trustees

Governors and trustees should recognise attendance as a strategic priority. They should receive regular attendance reports, scrutinise trends and challenge leaders where concerns persist. Questions governors may wish to ask include: Which cohorts have the weakest attendance? How quickly are concerns identified? What evidence demonstrates that interventions are improving outcomes? How is attendance linked to safeguarding oversight? What assurance is there that coding arrangements are accurate? Governors should also ensure attendance features prominently within school development planning and safeguarding assurance processes.

Common weaknesses identified during reviews

Common weaknesses identified through reviews include delayed intervention, inconsistent attendance coding, reliance on letters rather than meaningful engagement, poor evaluation of interventions, inadequate governor challenge and insufficient attention to vulnerable groups. Schools should audit attendance arrangements regularly and seek external review where concerns persist.

Inspection and quality assurance considerations

Although attendance is not judged in isolation, inspectors will often explore how leaders understand attendance patterns, support vulnerable pupils and evaluate improvement activity. Schools should be able to demonstrate a clear rationale for their attendance strategy, robust data analysis and evidence of impact. Leaders should ensure attendance documentation is current and aligned with statutory guidance.

Attendance self-audit checklist

1.       Review attendance policy.

2.      Identify an attendance champion.

3.      Establish weekly attendance meetings.

4.     Maintain attendance watchlists.

5.      Audit attendance coding.

6.      Review vulnerable cohorts.

7.      Strengthen first-day response arrangements.

8.     Ensure governor oversight.

9.      Align attendance and safeguarding reviews.

10.   Evaluate intervention impact.

11.    Review alternative provision attendance processes.

Key resources

Working Together to Improve School Attendance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance

Communication Toolkit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance/toolkit-for-schools-communicating-with-families-to-support-attendance

Schools should also engage with Attendance Hubs and RISE attendance support resources.

Conclusion

The July 2026 guidance continues to promote a balanced approach built on strong leadership, accurate systems, supportive relationships and effective partnership working. Schools that identify barriers early, support families effectively and use data intelligently are most likely to improve outcomes. Attendance should be viewed not simply as a compliance requirement but as an integral component of safeguarding, wellbeing and educational success.