In the last five years, many schools have noticed a shift in how parents and carers perceive attendance. For some families, although having their children in school every day might be ideal, it isn’t always possible.
Schools may no longer be closed for long periods of time, but other side effects of the pandemic have stayed around permanently. Online learning is more readily available, anxiety around illness remains higher, and many parents have more complex working arrangements which often affect childcare options.
In addition, we’ve seen an increase in the number of children with identified special education needs (SEN). Many schools have struggled to meet those children’s needs consistently due to limited budgets and resources, which in turn has impacted attendance significantly.
To respond to this cultural shift, schools need to rethink how they engage with families. Clear, supportive communication is one of the most effective tools for improving attendance. But it’s not about sending more messages; it’s about sending the right messages, in the right way.
Our free digital guide sets out a practical approach for talking to families about attendance in a way that builds trust, encourages engagement, and supports pupils to be in school more often.
How to create your attendance strategy
Before diving into new ways of communicating with parents about attendance, it’s worth taking a step back to reflect on your current approach. A strong strategy starts with clarity, purpose, and a willingness to adapt. Here are five initial ideas to get you started, which will help with your next steps towards better attendance.
1. Develop a clear plan
What exactly do you want to achieve? Do you want to improve attendance overall, reduce persistent absence, or better support specific groups of pupils? Defining your goals will help shape the right messages and methods.
2. Audit your current practice
Which communication methods are landing well with parents, and which are being missed or misunderstood? Look at engagement data, parent feedback, and attendance outcomes to spot any underlying trends.
3. Listen to less-involved parents
It’s easy to hear from those who already speak up, but the most useful insights often come from those who don’t. We’ll explain how you can do this in more detail later, but make sure you approach your plan with this in mind.
4. Stop what isn’t working
Not every activity needs to be continued. If you’re doing things out of habit or because they’ve “always been done that way”, it might be time to let them go — especially if they’re not having a clear impact.
5. Take a multi-step approach
The best outcomes are achieved through a combination of methods. You don’t have to do everything in this guide, but there’s no single thing you can do to fix attendance issues overnight.
Ready to take the next step?
This article has been adapted from the first section of our free digital guide, “How to talk to parents about attendance”. The complete guide also explains how to use data to strengthen your conversations, best practices when communicating with parents, and examples of how to engage successfully with families in a way that actually improves attendance outcomes.
Download the full PDF guide here to find out more, or if you’d like to find out more about how our parental engagement software can support your school’s strategy, get in touch with us for a friendly chat.