Reduce the numbers of children and young people missing school
You can read the summary below, or access the full versions in the right-hand column.
What will be different in one year’s time?
What actions are planned over the next year?
Why does this matter?
- All children need a good education so that they can achieve their full potential
- Children and young people who miss school or who are excluded from school are at risk of under-achieving. They do not do as well as they are capable of doing and may place themselves at risk of harm or anti-social behaviour
- We have a duty to make sure that all children and young people receive a suitable education
- Vulnerable children and young people are more likely to miss school, so we need to give particular attention to our work with these pupils
- Children and young people who miss school are more likely to suffer poor outcomes overall including poorer health, increased involvement in offending behaviours and teenage pregnancy.
Where are we now?
What the local data tells us about Nottinghamshire
- In Nottinghamshire, around 140 secondary and 15 primary pupils are permanently excluded from their schools every year (data from the last six years)
- The number of fixed period exclusions has fallen dramatically over the past year
- Attendance has improved in primary and secondary schools over the past year.
What children, young people or families tell us
- Children and young people in Nottinghamshire tell us that success in examinations is important for them
- They want school lessons to be more fun and not just aimed at academic pupils
- They say that children and young people have a responsibility themselves to taker advantage of education
- Parents say they want to work with schools to improve their children’s attendance and to have help when they face problems.
What will be different in one year’s time?
- We will have a Behaviour and Attendance Board with representatives from across the Partnership which will monitor the progress of a detailed plan of action to improve behaviour and attendance
- Young people will be happier with their lives in school and make better progress
- Schools will be better places to learn and work
- Schools and services for children will work together through locality-based behaviour and attendance partnerships.
What actions are planned over the next year?
- Develop Locality Behaviour and Attendance Partnerships in every area and make sure these have good links with district services
- Implement the findings of the Special Educational Needs Review - with particular emphasis on early intervention and parent support
- Improve support from primary aged pupils at risk of exclusion and at the points of transfer between schools
- Make use of 'e-learning' to improve teaching for vulnerable pupils
- Help schools develop their curriculum so it suits all children and young people, and help them to develop alternative provision for some children and young people outside of school
- Make better use of our data to identify which children may need support
- Use the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) as an assessment tool
- Make use of children’s views in our planning
- Help secondary schools introduce the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme and work effectively with health providers to do so
- Work with schools where behaviour and attendance is a problem
- Provide training for staff and parents and carers
- We will continue to meet our duty to provide full time education to permanently excluded pupils.
How will we measure impact?
NI 87 - There will be fewer secondary pupils identified as persistently absent.
NI 114 - There will be fewer permanent exclusions from school.
- Progress of pupils out of school as a result of persistent absence or permanent exclusion will be monitored by the Education Welfare Service and the Nottinghamshire Learning Centre
- There will be fewer days lost to exclusion from school
- There will be a reduction in the proportion of boys from Black African, Black Caribbean or dual heritage backgrounds who are excluded
- There will be a reduction in the number of children with Special Educational Needs who are excluded.
Contact Information:
Lead Partnership Group:
Nottinghamshire Behaviour and Attendance Board
Strategic Lead:
Rob Skelton
Service Director, Inclusion and Engagement
Nottinghamshire County Council Children and Young People’s Services
For more information about how this work is being developed, contact:
Rob Lancaster
Head of EOTAS (Education Otherwise Than At School) Nottinghamshire County Council Children and Young People’s Services
Tel: 0115 982 3823
