Attendance vital to children's future

Nobody can solve issues around school attendance on their own and it was vital organisations worked together to support children and their families, a major conference in Grimsby heard.

North East Lincolnshire's first Attendance Conference, supported by Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust and hosted by the University Centre Grimsby, part of the TEC Partnership, focused on a problematic issue across the country.

It was organised by the System Leader Group, a new partnership of influential leaders from multi-academy trusts, Franklin Sixth Form College, Grimsby Institute and North East Lincolnshire Council.

Alison Wilson OBE, Regional Director, Yorkshire and Humber Regions Group at the Department for Education, thanked organisers for focusing on a "key priority" for the Government.

"Too many children don't get into school a bit of the time, don't get in a lot of the time or don't get in at all," she told the near 200-strong audience.

Speaking afterwards, she was "delighted" to attend.

"It has given an opportunity to focus on a shared priority," she said.

"We need to ensure children and young people are engaged in school and the whole system working together is vital to that. Nobody will solve the issues working on their own."

Keynote speaker Baroness Anne Longfield, formerly Children's Commissioner for England and founder and Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said the issue was magnified by the pandemic.

"Covid rocket boosted a lot of the problems around attendance," she said. "A big part is identifying where children fall through the gaps.

"It's always those children who are most disadvantaged and most at risk.

"You can see the children who aren't attending are most likely to be on free school meals, to have mental health problems and to be growing up in poverty. Then you can start to work out what's going on and what you're going to do about it."

It was important to build trust with parents and children.

"We all want children in school, that is how we are going to see them succeed," Baroness Longfield said.

"But we are dealing with deep-seated issues: children with chronic anxiety who just can't face constantly coming to school every day; children with special educational needs who have not had the support they need.

"Most parents are absolutely desperate to get their kids in but often they need that help to build that momentum.

"Schools, other services and organisations need to be working with parents and children to build that sense and understanding that schools are such an important part of life.

"We have a big emphasis on growth in this country but we can't have a burgeoning economy that is highly productive unless we have the children who are able and confident to go into that workforce of tomorrow.

"This is something for everyone and why this is a really important event."

The conference also heard from John Leese, Education and Safeguarding Manager at Bradford Council, who has overseen a dramatic turnaround in school attendance in the city over the past three years.

Workshops across topics related to attendance gathered thoughts from delegates, with a feedback session sharing ideas and common themes.

Martin Brown, LGAT's Chief Executive Officer, said it had been a "fantastic event".

"It was brilliant to see local multi-academy trusts, FE colleges and the council all coming together to look at the problem of attendance," he said.

"It was about local leaders and staff who work in attendance seeing how we could learn from each other and look at what we can do going forward.

"LGAT is happy to be involved and part of the System Leader Group. We want to work in a collaborative way with other MATs, colleges and the council, setting aside the competition we have between us for the greater good of the local area and its children."

Director of Children's Services at North East Lincolnshire Council, Ann-Marie Matson, said the conference signified a common ambition to create change that benefitted children and families.

"The focus on attendance is pivotal because we know that the school environment is key in enabling children to succeed throughout their lives," she said.

"This conference is a marker in the sand. By working together we can have a deeper impact on our shared aspirations that we have talked about throughout today.

"We need to continue the conversation beyond this incredible conference. Our objective is to have a borough-wide charter that pledges a shared ambition for children to be in their schools, receiving the support that they need. Today is a step forward in achieving this.

"We should never lose the focus that Our Children are Our Future."

Richard Briggs, the Chief Executive Officer at Harbour Learning Trust, compered the "significant" event.

"It is great to see almost every single school and college in the local authority represented," he said.

"It shows the desire to work together, focus on children and families, and have a high level of ambition for what we can achieve as one."

Ann Hardy, Chief Executive Officer of the TEC Partnership, was proud to host the event.

"The speakers were phenomenal, and it was great to hear them all talking about the importance of working together and making a real impact around attendance," she said.

Enquire, Harbour Learning, Lincolnshire Gateway, Oasis, St Lawrence and Wellspring are the local multi-academy trusts which have joined with Franklin Sixth Form College, Grimsby Institute and the council to form the System Leaders Group.

CEO at Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust Martin Brown (fifth right) with speakers, guests and other members of the System Leader Group at the Attendance Conference.