ATTENDANCE Awareness Training

1. ATTENDANCE Awareness Training Lorraine Lord and Bev Petch

2. Overview • “Missing” • National Data Sets • Vulnerable groups • Punctuality • Ofsted and attendance/safeguarding • ESCOS, Early Help, CSE, Radicalisation and Extremism, CME, Enforcement • Plenary

3. Non School Attendance and Missing • Child Missing from Education • Child at Risk of Missing Education • Child Missing Education • Child Missing

4. Children Missing From Education A child going missing from education is a potential indicator of abuse or neglect. Staff in education provision should follow the provision’s procedures for dealing with children that go missing from education, particularly on repeat occasions, to help identify the risk of abuse and neglect, including sexual exploitation, and to help prevent the risks of their going missing in the future.

5. Best Practice Ensure all pupils attend school regularly Ensure all pupils attend lessons on time and arrive at school on time (punctuality)

6. National Data - Primary • Primary attendance 96.0% • Authorised 3.3% • Unauthorised 0.7% • Absence overall 4% • Persistent absence 2.7%

7. National Data - Secondary • Attendance 94.8%, • Authorised Absence 4%, • Unauthorised 1.2%, • Absence overall 5.2%, • Persistent absence 5.5%

8. Pupil Groups to be Particularly Mindful of: • SEND • Medical Conditions • Pupils on part time timetables • Gypsy Roma Traveller • Service Children • Looked after pupils • Pupil premium pupils • Child protection concerns • Low attaining pupils • Those attending alternative provision • Pupils at risk of exclusion and excluded pupils

9. Attendance Data • Current in school attendance data? • What does the DFE 5 year profile look like for your school? Trend? • What does the IDS say about attendance at your school? • What does the school SITTS report say about attendance at your school?

10. School leaders should consider the: • Extent to which they create a positive culture and ethos where safeguarding is an important part of every day life in the setting • Application and effectiveness of safeguarding policies • Quality of safeguarding practice • Timeliness of response to safeguarding concerns • Quality of work to support multi-agency plans around the child or learner

11. Punctuality Late before the register closed Late after the register closed During the school day – punctuality to lessons

12. Policy • Policy updated • Includes CMFE pathway • KCSIE (September 2018)

13. Absences: • Are absences followed up? • What about pupils who have stopped attending the setting? • Monitoring of children who go missing during the school day? • Engagement of other agencies?

14. Thresholds • Solihull MBC thresholds (4 thresholds) • Appendix of main thresholds document exemplar material and guidance • Attendance through the thresholds

15. Attendance • Education Welfare • Causes not symptoms • Attendance can be presenting issue • Early Help • MASH • Enforcement Team • CME team

16. Case Study • Request for support from Parent – Jan 16 • Lauren • 15 years old – year 11 • 48% Attendance • Anxiety, low self esteem • Sleeping difficulties • Refusal to attend GP appointment • Young carer for brother • Older brother – mental health condition • Parent struggling • Not accessing other activities Inc. young carers

17. Case Study • Engagement Plan – School with support from Engage • Direct Worker identified • School to support anxiety in classroom and strategies • School nurse involvement re sleep • School to support with work experience • Direct Work support around self esteem and confidence • Direct Work support for revision timetable and structure • Direct Work to support outside activities – link to young carers • Direct Work referral to UYCB course • Direct Work parenting support re behaviour strategies • Direct Work link work 16+ team for sibling

18. Attendance and Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

19. Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Child sexual exploitation is a form of sexual abuse in which a child or young person is manipulated or forced into taking part in a sexual act. This could be as part of a seemingly consensual relationship, or in return for attention, affection, money, drugs, alcohol or somewhere to stay.

20. 10 key facts about child sexual exploitation http://www.beds.ac.uk/ic/films • CSE and Me : http://www.barnardosrealloverocks.org.uk/cse-and-me/

21. Links with absence and missing The link between Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and children and young people going missing is inextricable since going missing can be both a cause and a consequence of being sexually exploited.’ (National Working Group website)

22. ‘Running away or going missing is a key early indicator of child sexual exploitation. Recent research has found that many as 70% of children who are sexually exploited go missing. Some young people go missing as a consequence of sexual exploitation. Others are at risk of being targeted by perpetrators who groom them for sexual exploitation.’ (Children’s Society, citing research from the 2012 ‘Office of the Children’s Commissioner Inquiry’)

23. What can schools do?Prevention and protection • Closely monitor attendance and take action where necessary. • Poor attendance at school or sudden changes in attendance patterns or levels can be an early indication of child sexual exploitation or other problems within the family home.

24. Questions • Do all staff in your school understand the safeguarding links between absence and CSE? • How vigilant are all staff? • What systems do you have in place if a child does not arrive at school? • Are these robust and consistently adhered to? How do you know?

25. Questions • How are patterns of absence for individuals monitored and analysed? • How would you know if a child went missing from school during the day or from particular lessons? • Would all staff know how to respond? • Who would rule in the potential risk of CSE?

26. Please see the Solihull’s health and wellbeing website’s CSE pages: http://www.solgrid.org.uk/wellbeing/safeguarding-through-the-curriculum/child-sexual-exploitation/ You will be able to access a range of information and resources including Solihull’s updated ‘Healthy and Safe Relationships’ resource (age 12+) and the new ‘Happy and Safe Relationships’ resource (age 7-9).

27. Radicalisation and Extremism Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism. There is no single way of identifying an individual who is likely to be susceptible to an extremist ideology. It can happen in many different ways and settings. Specific background factors may contribute to vulnerability which are often combined with specific influences such as family, friends or online, and with specific needs for which an extremist or terrorist group may appear to provide an answer. The internet and the use of social media in particular has become a major factor in the radicalisation of young people. Extremism is vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. This also includes calls for the death of members of the British armed forces, whether in this country or overseas.

28. Exclusions • Schools must follow the statutory guidanceon exclusions when removing a pupil as a disciplinary penalty. They cannot send pupils home or to off-site provision for disciplinary reasons without following exclusions guidance.

29. Religious Observance • Schools must treat absence as authorised when it is due to religious observance. • The day must be exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the parents belong (by the religious body, not the parents). • Where necessary, schools should seek advice from the parents’ religious body about whether it has set the day apart for religious observance. 

30. Plenary • Clear attendance policy and procedures • Check they work • Evaluate the impact of the school’s work to improve attendance • Be clear about what we mean by ‘missing’ and act appropriately and in a timely manner