NAP
National Attendance PortalBonus Professional Learning Resource
60:00
60-minute bonus training resource

Attendance: From Concern to Collective Leadership

A strategic session for SLT and Attendance Teams. Use it to explore national context, your local picture, the relationship between strategic and operational leadership, and the actions required to improve attendance.

60 minutesSLT + Attendance TeamSecondary + Post-16 adaptableInteractive action planning
Central proposition
Attendance Teams provide operational capacity, casework and intelligence. SLT provides authority, direction, challenge and organisational response. Neither succeeds without the other.
Stage 0

Reset the leadership conversation

0–5 min
Opening question: If attendance is not yet where it should be, what must leadership know and do differently?
Attendance is a lagging indicator.
Falling attendance may reflect belonging, SEND, anxiety, behaviour, curriculum, family circumstances, health, safeguarding or engagement.
Leadership test.
Can we say: who is not attending, why, what we are doing, who owns the next action, and whether it is working?
Stage 1

National context

5–15 min
93.12%overall attendance in England, 2025/26 year-to-date to 10 July 2026.
91.51%approximate secondary attendance, derived from the published 8.49% secondary absence rate.
23.77%secondary persistent absence in the DfE Week 28 year-to-date dataset.
Use the national picture as context, not an excuse. Local leadership still needs to understand variation, barriers, movement and impact.

National evidence and guidance

DfE attendance statisticsLatest year-to-date national attendance context used in this session. Working Together to Improve School AttendanceStatutory guidance for schools, trusts, governing bodies and local authorities.
Stage 2

Your local context: define the problem precisely

15–25 min

Replace broad statements such as “attendance is poor” with a clear diagnosis of where the variation sits and who is moving.

Facilitator input: add your local attendance picture here
Discuss: What are the three most important attendance problems we need to solve this term — and what evidence tells us they are the right three?

Portal leadership resources

Attendance Leadership, Trusts & Governance HubStrategy, assurance, governance and leadership tools. Interactive Leadership & Governance EvaluationUse KNOW → EXPLAIN → ACT → ASSURE to test leadership strength.
Stage 3

How SLT and Attendance Teams work together

25–38 min
Attendance Team · operational engine + intelligence
  • Identify emerging absence and pattern change.
  • Know individual pupils and family context.
  • Undertake and coordinate specialist casework.
  • Record interventions and review points.
  • Flag barriers, drift and cases not improving.
  • Escalate issues requiring wider authority.
SLT · strategic ownership + authority
  • Set expectations, thresholds and priorities.
  • Interrogate attendance intelligence.
  • Remove organisational barriers.
  • Deploy staff and resources intelligently.
  • Require action from SEND, pastoral, curriculum and safeguarding leaders.
  • Challenge impact and make escalation decisions.
KNOWAttendance TeamWho is absent? Who is deteriorating? What pattern are we seeing?
EXPLAINTogetherWhat is the barrier? What evidence do we have? Is school contributing?
ACTNamed ownerSpecific action, deadline, intended outcome and escalation route.
ASSURESLTDid it work? What changed? What must happen next?
Key principle: “Referral to the Attendance Team” is not an attendance strategy.

Portal casework and leadership tools

Attendance Case Conference OrganiserStructure discussion around barriers, actions, ownership and review. Attendance Case Drift TrackerSpot repeated activity without sufficient movement. Attendance Officer Weekly Impact ReportTurn operational activity into leadership intelligence. SLT Attendance Champion Impact ReportKeep leadership focused on cumulative impact and accountability.
Stage 4

Move from retrospective data to early-warning intelligence

38–48 min
97%+protect strong attendance and recognise success.
90–95%early intervention territory — do not wait for PA.
<90%persistent absence territory — clear plan, ownership and review.
Movement matters. A pupil at 94% falling rapidly may need more immediate attention than a pupil at 88% who is improving.

Portal tools for early identification

PA Prevention ToolkitIdentify and act before persistent absence becomes entrenched. Vulnerable Pupil Attendance CheckerKeep priority groups visible in review. Attendance Barrier IdentifierMove from code to underlying barrier. Further Education & Post-16 HubParticipation, retention, course fit and engagement.
Stage 5

Turn intelligence into strategic and operational action

48–56 min
Strategic:
priorities, measures, milestones, weekly intelligence, accountability, resource deployment and evaluation of impact.
Operational:
accurate registers, rapid response, emerging-risk identification, case ownership, review points and escalation when cases stall.

Portal tools for action and assurance

6-Week Attendance Support PlanGive intervention a clear timescale, owner and review point. Attendance Intervention Impact ReportSeparate activity from measurable impact. Ofsted Attendance Readiness ReportTest leadership, evidence and assurance. CPD & Training ResourcesContinue leadership development after the session.
Stage 6

Commit: the first 30 days

56–60 min
Your ongoing support

National Attendance Portal

Use the Portal for attendance leadership, casework, evidence, CPD, SEND, family support, post-16 and practical tools throughout the year.

Visit the National Attendance PortalYour ongoing attendance support base.Leadership, Trusts & Governance HubContinue the strategic work.

Do not enter pupil names or pupil-identifiable information on this page.