What if our response is part of the problem?
This is not a school-bashing day. Schools carry real attendance, safeguarding and educational responsibilities.
A strong attendance culture matters. So does knowing when the usual response is not working. The leadership challenge is to stay consistent without becoming mechanical, and to stay curious when a case is becoming more complex rather than more compliant.
Six signs a case needs a fresh look.
The useful test is not whether a school held meetings or sent letters. It is whether anything became more possible for the child.
The same conversation keeps repeating and the barrier or next action remains unchanged.
Attendance is falling despite compliance activity. More letters and calls are not producing a workable plan.
The child’s voice is thin or missing. Adults are talking about the pupil more than with them.
SEND, health or anxiety sits in a separate conversation from the attendance plan.
The family is becoming defensive or disengaged and trust may be becoming part of the barrier.
EHE appears suddenly at the end of a long story. Ask what could have been different earlier.
Move from debate to something useful.
Agree, disagree, challenge us or add something we have missed.
Feedback is welcome from families, young people, home educators, schools, trusts, SEND professionals, local authorities, health, wider services, researchers and policymakers.