Haringey schools are grappling with high absence rates, particularly in secondary schools, according to a report presented at the Haringey Schools Forum on Thursday. The Education Welfare Service (EWS) update, detailed in Item 7 SF EWS, revealed that overall absence and persistent absenteeism remain areas of concern, prompting discussions on strategies to address the issue. The Schools Forum was scheduled to discuss a block transfer of £122,000 for the Education Welfare Service1.

In the 2024–2025 academic year, primary schools saw an overall absence rate of 5.5%, slightly exceeding the London average of 5.4% and the national average of 5.2%. Persistent absenteeism among primary pupils in Haringey reached 15.8%, surpassing both the London average of 15.1% and the national rate of 13.5%.

Secondary schools face even greater challenges. The overall absence rate in Haringey's secondary schools is 7.8%, higher than the London average of 7.4%, although lower than the national average of 8.6%. The persistent absenteeism rate in the secondary phase stands at 24.5%, exceeding both the London average of 22.3% and the national average of 24.3%.

The EWS report highlighted several initiatives aimed at improving attendance. These include:

  • Providing all schools with an allocated Education Welfare Officer (EWO) and an enhanced core offer free of charge.
  • Increasing EWO presence in schools, with EWOs regularly holding parent and pupil meetings.
  • Sharing sample attendance policies and template letters with schools.
  • Delivering training on day-to-day attendance management.
  • Holding termly Targeted Support Meetings with every school to plan and agree on targeted support and actions for cohorts of concern.

Specifically, for students identified as being part of 'cohorts of concern' (including persistently absent, severely absent, and vulnerable learners), termly Targeted Support Meetings are held with every school, with follow-up meetings arranged as necessary. EWOs work closely with schools to develop reasonable adjustments, and initial attendance plans for these learners, particularly those already known to the EWS.

The report also mentioned the establishment of an Attendance Management Board in May 2025, which aims to ensure a strategic and coordinated approach to improving school attendance. The board seeks to establish consistent practices across all attendance-related matters, promoting alignment between schools and the local authority.

As part of the local authority's strategic approach, key national and local messages are regularly communicated through Attendance Forums, offering a platform for schools to share good practice, receive updates from LA services, and raise concerns. The Attendance Strategy is in full implementation mode, with a focus on data, data-driven targets, support and intervention and accessible data and effective data sharing with all schools.2

Strategic meetings are also held with schools identified as needing priority support, facilitating collaborative working to develop and implement robust attendance improvement plans.

1 The budget allocated to the Attendance Management Board and how the funding is distributed across various initiatives is not specified in the provided text.

2 The specific methods of evaluation and data used to evaluate the effectiveness of the initiatives are not detailed in the provided text.