Government cracking down on school non-attenders. What happens in practice.

The spreadsheet data doesn't always communicate with other data about a pupil, which might be in a "confidential" file.

Uk systems seem to become more like, people are just a number, more and more every day.

Excuse typos please.

met - net

Having been pulled up by Callistemon

I thought I was polite to you growstuff!
Yes, but it has changed.

This all smacks of targets and directives from the DfE. Absence rates are scrutinised by Ofsted and no allowances are made for context. One of the comments in Ruth Perry's Ofsted report was about high absence and contributed to the overall safeguarding fail

Yes, I agree and it is a tick-box exercise so often now.
Schools are too large and often impersonal.
There is a lot thst is wrong.

But I still think prolonged or repeated absences need to be followed up because, if one child falls through the met, it is one too many.

rafichagran

Growstuff If two people had turned up at my door when I had to have 3 weeks of work,helping my son who was on crutches and I had contacted the School, provided proof, I would not be pleased. I did everything expected of me, why can't these school attendance officers, phone the School to find this information out?
My son had had a good attendance record before. No need to come door knocking. To be fair they did not anyway.

Exactly! They didn't probably because he had an otherwise good attendance record and realised that the absence (albeit quite long) was temporary. The most concerning absences are those when a child is absent nearly every week for a couple of days.

Having been pulled up by Callistemon I did a bit of delving about Attendance Officers and School Liaison Officers. Neither role existed when I was a Head of Year. It would appear both roles are employed by schools and aren't particularly well-paid.

Since local management of schools (in all its many forms), the number of school admin and ancillary staff has mushroomed. Many of the people don't even come into contact with pupils. Attendance registers are now done by computer, so are just figures on a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet data doesn't always communicate with other data about a pupil, which might be in a "confidential" file.

Years ago, the form tutor and Head of Year knew pupils more personally. There were fewer barriers between the school and education welfare services. I expect persistent truancy was sometimes missed, but support was probably better targeted.

This all smacks of targets and directives from the DfE. Absence rates are scrutinised by Ofsted and no allowances are made for context. One of the comments in Ruth Perry's Ofsted report was about high absence and contributed to the overall safeguarding fail.

fancythat

Callistemon21

Non-attendance at school can be a trigger warning sign that there may be all kinds of safeguarding issues.

In many cases, like this one, the reason will be genuine illness.

However, some parents may keep children off school because they are being abused or neglected but other parents may be unaware their children are not attending because they have been caught up in County lines, being exploited by gangs, or truanting because they are being bullied at school and no-one is aware.
Some children may be having time off because they are young carers for parents.

Calling unexpectedly means the situation can be assessed more clearly.

In this case the reason was clear but in some cases further action and referrals to Social Services or even the Police might be needed.

Are you saying that School Attendance people cannot make the distinction?

Because if they cant, something is wrong with the system somewhere along the line.

This!

Attendance Officers are not Education Welfare Officers.

DiddyNan

fancythat

DiddyNan

I applaud any authority following this procedure

Really? Even in this "case"?

Yes

Why

Callistemon21

Non-attendance at school can be a trigger warning sign that there may be all kinds of safeguarding issues.

In many cases, like this one, the reason will be genuine illness.

However, some parents may keep children off school because they are being abused or neglected but other parents may be unaware their children are not attending because they have been caught up in County lines, being exploited by gangs, or truanting because they are being bullied at school and no-one is aware.
Some children may be having time off because they are young carers for parents.

Calling unexpectedly means the situation can be assessed more clearly.

In this case the reason was clear but in some cases further action and referrals to Social Services or even the Police might be needed.

Are you saying that School Attendance people cannot make the distinction?

Because if they cant, something is wrong with the system somewhere along the line.

I do think huge secondary schools can be intimidating for some children, especially if they've attended a friendly, small primary school where teachers are familiar with all the families.

No wonder sometimes they have to be kept safe at home.
However, home is not a safe space for many children.

Growstuff If two people had turned up at my door when I had to have 3 weeks of work,helping my son who was on crutches and I had contacted the School, provided proof, I would not be pleased. I did everything expected of me, why can't these school attendance officers, phone the School to find this information out?
My son had had a good attendance record before. No need to come door knocking. To be fair they did not anyway.

Very upsetting to see this being done in such a heavy handed way. And no clear reason why...
Thank goodness our family missed the 'fines' period (only just). Our daughter's attendance was at times low (chest infections, pneumonia, asthma related etc) but she was only one of two children to pass the requirements at aged 10 to get into the local selective school. Which in itself is not the be all and end all either. So it's not always true that attendance is linked to achievement and wellbeing. Our daughter had the lowest attendance on the block.
Realise it's more complex than that but still....
The problem of bullying in school also needs addressing, it can be a very intimidating environment for a lot of children. No wonder sometimes they have to be kept safe at home. Being at home is too often presented as 'a problem' but, for some, being 'at school' can present a risk to their health and their ability to learn and feel safe.

Yes it’s another reduction in service imo. Non school attendance is serious, in MOnica’s family the reason was ill health but for many children it’s an early indication of things not going well in theirs lives. The move to including EWOs on the CQSW reflected that. Teachers are generally skilled communicators and in primary school know the children and their families well
That doesn’t mean they include the work that used to be done by EWO in their busy role

growstuff

Iam64

Callistemon21

Attendance Officers are not Education Welfare Officers.

Exactly

But EWOs were the people who would follow up on poor attendance. I know because I used to report concerning attendance to the EWO who came to visit the school regularly.

Yes, but it has changed.

Non-attendance at school can be a trigger warning sign that there may be all kinds of safeguarding issues.

In many cases, like this one, the reason will be genuine illness.

However, some parents may keep children off school because they are being abused or neglected but other parents may be unaware their children are not attending because they have been caught up in County lines, being exploited by gangs, or truanting because they are being bullied at school and no-one is aware.
Some children may be having time off because they are young carers for parents.

Calling unexpectedly means the situation can be assessed more clearly.

In this case the reason was clear but in some cases further action and referrals to Social Services or even the Police might be needed.

I have always thought (maybe wrongly) that children had to attend school by law. Unless of course there was a good reason (illness, death in family etc). I personally think there should be more Attendance Officers although in this example there seems to have been some misunderstanding or lack of communication on someone's part. I agree with the statement "better safe than sorry". I also believe there is a lot of responsibility put on teachers to teach things that are the moral DUTY of parents to do eg teeth brushing...what is that all about. But don't get me started!

rafichagran

Calllistomon, those warning bells would not sound if these people did their job properly.
Let the warning bells sound, it would be a waste of time for everyone as nothing was amiss, as someone said upthread they may see some people as easy targets so they could tick a box. I would have no intention of being a easy target.
While they waste their time with me and other good parents they miss the poor kids who need the help.

Who are you claiming isn't doing their job properly?

Iam64

Callistemon21

Attendance Officers are not Education Welfare Officers.

Exactly

But EWOs were the people who would follow up on poor attendance. I know because I used to report concerning attendance to the EWO who came to visit the school regularly.

Callistemon21

Attendance Officers are not Education Welfare Officers.

EWOs used to be the people who would check on attendance. Is Attendance Officer a new role?

Calllistomon, those warning bells would not sound if these people did their job properly.
Let the warning bells sound, it would be a waste of time for everyone as nothing was amiss, as someone said upthread they may see some people as easy targets so they could tick a box. I would have no intention of being a easy target.
While they waste their time with me and other good parents they miss the poor kids who need the help.

fancythat

DiddyNan

I applaud any authority following this procedure

Really? Even in this "case"?

Yes

biglouis

There have been a few threads on this subject on Mumsnet where the child with a previously good attendance record had good to be absent (covid/funeral. etc)

B****y schools are getting to be like concentration camps.

I would probably have told them to go "forth and multiply" in no uncertain terms.

Schools are the only place where the customer or service user has to wear a uniform rather than the staff. I think it gives teachers the wrong message about the value of the students as individuals.

Callistemon21

Attendance Officers are not Education Welfare Officers.

Exactly

Dear M0nica, What a dreadful experience it was for your DiL. I have witnessed the same in Perth Australia. I was staying in a caravan in the yard. My GD had been ill with an on off fatigue syndrome for several years. DiL was in close cooperation with the school. She told me that the attendance officers had been round and talked to her daughter and on that occasion they took her mobile phone away and told her she would have it returned when she returned to school. She was without it for several weeks!!

This fatigue syndrome was on an off and distance learning had been tried but grand daughter wanted to attend school when she could and not be isolated.

Any way these two officer turned up. They looked like police women ready for action. With their demeanor, I recognized their mission immediately, I stepped out out onto the caravan step to observe with mobile in hand. My Dil came out of the house and stood in front of the porch, Grand daughter was in bed with an appointment for the doctor the next day if she could manage to get to it. The conversation unfolded with respect to grand daughters illness and the doctors appointment. The two officer left. An unnecessary and threatening visit.

When I was a housewife in Manchester in the late 1960's I would be cooking at home for the evening meal for family and student lodgers, A young lad occasionally turned up. He was clearly a school truant and from a very poor household fascinated by my twin tub, how I prepared the food etc. He said he only liked the chess club at school! I cannot remember now quite how it went but I did explain that when the school attendance officer came for him he would need to return to school with him, best not to run away. One day a man on a bike arrived. He was the school attendance officer. The lad went with him. I do hope the dear child did well.

So sorry M0nica that the system has become so unnecessarily aggressive. Do hope the school can prevent any further visits.

My gut answer to the question would be they're seen as 'soft targets '. It's a box ticking exercise and the school have picked out families with good records otherwise who can be quietly bullied into helping the school improve their figures.
The wellbeing of the child won't enter into it, so long as their attendance figures improve 😞

Attendance Officers are not Education Welfare Officers.

Iam64

Growstuff I’m sure you’re correct about untrained inexperienced attendance officers. Education welfare officers used to be seconded to study for a CQSW, so many were well trained and qualified. The austerity project has so much to answer for

In the "olden days", EWOs knew families well. I was a Head of Year at one time and the EWOs would come into school and discuss outcomes of visits with me. They were very sympathetic to the situation in some families and we would devise some kind of strategy to encourage pupils to come into school. Sometimes, a parent was ill and needed a child at home, so the EWO would contact medical/social services. Sometimes the child was being bullied, but wouldn't tell the school about it. Sometimes there were patterns and a child was absent on certain days because he/she didn't like the subject or teacher. You're right Iam64, they played a social worker role.

All this was before the days of fining parents for condoning truancy and banning permission for many known absences. And budget cuts! It was about carrots, not sticks.