Islington sees overall school attendance rise, but vulnerable pupils continue to lag
Islington Council has reported an overall improvement in school attendance, but a persistent gap remains for vulnerable pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
At a recent Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee meeting, councillors were presented with a 12-month update on attendance, which showed an increase in overall attendance to 92.5% for the 2025/26 academic year. Secondary school persistent absence also saw a reduction to 21.2% in Autumn 2025/26, the lowest rate since the pandemic.
However, Councillor Sheila Chapman, Executive Member for Children, Young People & Families, acknowledged that persistent absence remains concentrated among pupils with complex needs, including those with SEND and other vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities extend to children and young people living in poverty, those in difficult housing situations, and those with special educational needs and disabilities. The council's Attendance Strategy aims to address this through a whole-system approach involving schools, parents, GPs, youth workers, and educational psychologists.
The Attendance Mentor Programme, which provides one-to-one support for pupils at risk of persistent absence, has shown positive results. A July 2026 programme evaluation reported that 56% of completed cases improved attendance, with 26% moving above 90% attendance. The programme has had approximately 80 completed cases over the last year and has been extended to the end of the 2026/27 academic year. Plans for further expansion and wider communication are underway, aiming to strengthen quality assurance, family engagement, and sustained impact tracking, as many people remain unaware of the support available.
A new positive attendance campaign is also being developed to highlight the benefits of attending school, moving away from a punitive approach towards one that emphasizes support and belonging. The campaign will focus on the friendships, activities, opportunities, enrichment, and sense of belonging that children miss when absent. It will be used throughout 2026/27 to gather positive stories and reinforce why school is the best place to be. Its effectiveness will be evaluated by measuring overall attendance, persistent absence, severe absence, pupil-level change, and qualitative evidence. Partnership activity with Arsenal in the Community, including attendance celebration events, is also planned.
Councillor Elmedina Baptista-Mendes inquired about specific schools experiencing the greatest attendance challenges and whether assessments had been made into pupils' sense of safety and inclusion. Councillor Chapman stated that naming specific schools would not be appropriate due to their varied contexts and the significant work being done by all, reiterating that absenteeism is strongly linked to disadvantage. Approaches by schools in terms of behaviour management can impact a child's sense of belonging. The report also notes that children at risk of youth violence are safer in school, implying that a lack of attendance can be a risk factor. Elective home education is also mentioned as an increasing trend.
Councillor Oliur Rahman highlighted the difference between children's home and school environments and thanked school staff for their dedication. He requested the expansion and wider communication of the mentoring programme.
Nick Turpin raised concerns about the transition of SEND information from primary to secondary schools. He suggested more needs to be done to ensure this information is understood and acted upon by secondary school staff. Challenges include secondary schools finding it difficult to process the information shared by primary schools, meaning that plans in place for SEND children in primary school do not always reach secondary schools effectively. This can lead to children appearing dysregulated due to anxiety or special needs that were previously understood. Proposed mechanisms include better information transfer, the possibility of inclusion hubs to support transitions, and secondary schools reaching into primary schools to build connections. Councillor Chapman acknowledged this as a helpful observation and suggested exploring the use of inclusion hubs. The transition support should also extend into the first term of secondary school.
The 'whole-system approach' to addressing vulnerable pupil attendance involves joined-up working across all directives, including adult social care and housing, as many children struggling with attendance live in households where adults are struggling with mental health. GPs and youth workers are expected to deliver consistent messaging with schools and the local authority, reinforcing the importance of attendance. Detached youth workers play a role by meeting young people in their communities to build relationships and have private conversations.
The council's definition of 'vulnerable pupils' extends beyond those with SEND to include children and young people living in poverty, those in difficult housing situations, and those with social, emotional and mental health needs, or social care involvement.
Overall, while Islington is seeing positive trends in school attendance, the focus remains on addressing the specific needs of vulnerable pupils and ensuring a supportive and inclusive environment for all children. The full report can be found in the Public reports pack.