Around 158,000 pupils were severely absent last year – more than double the rate before the pandemic. As absence rates continue to rise, collaboration between schools and multi-agency partners is more important than ever.
With this in mind, we were delighted to welcome headteachers, senior leaders and attendance officers to the Attendance Conference on Wednesday, 22 January – a joint event held by Manchester City Council (MCC) and One Education. An incredible opportunity for education professionals to work together to share solutions and reverse the trend of persistent absence!
We had a fantastic time hearing from national leaders and experts in education, sharing all the latest research, trends and developments in pupil attendance. We hope delegates gained lots of fresh ideas and inspiration to take back to school with them.
Don’t worry if you missed it! Read ahead for a full roundup of the event and everything we learned.
Welcome
This year’s event took place at the Salford Community Stadium, not far from Manchester city centre. Delegates enjoyed a breakfast of lovely fresh pastries as we settled into our seats, getting to know colleagues from schools across the city and taking in the spectacular views of the pitch!
The conference began with a warm welcome from Jess Lane, One Education’s Head of Service for Pupil Attendance & Safeguarding, followed by Sonia Schofield, Strategic Lead for Attendance & Exclusions at MCC, and Ed Haygarth, Statutory Lead for Attendance & Exclusions at MCC.
They highlighted the progress Manchester has already made in improving school attendance, thanks to the dedicated efforts of our local schools. The Attendance Conference presented an opportunity to continue building on this momentum and working together to achieve even better outcomes for our children and young people.
Keynote 1: Department for Education
Diane McConnell, Manchester’s DfE Adviser
To kickoff the conference, we heard from Diane McConnell, Manchester’s DfE Adviser. Diane explained the national challenges informing the local context, including the Covid-19 pandemic and its lasting impact on the social contract; the increase in social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs amongst children; the rise of those at risk of criminal and sexual exploitation; as well as an increase in suspensions and exclusions. National data shows that in the autumn and spring term of 2021-22, 1.6 million children were persistently absent – equivalent to 22%.
In the face of these challenges, the DfE advocates a “support-first approach.” This is embedded through a series of reforms introduced by the department, including regulations to modernise attendance registers and mandate attendance data-sharing between state-funded schools. Additionally, the DfE has released the revised version of ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ guidance, which emphasises the importance of working together with families, developing a whole school culture to promote high standards of attendance, and putting clear and consistent provision mapping in place to ensure that pupils who are absent receive the right support and intervention.
Keynote 2: Greater Manchester Attendance Action Alliance
Andrea Daubney, Assistant Director of Education MCC
Our second keynote shed light on the Greater Manchester Local Attendance Action Alliance, a collaboration between local authorities, academy trusts, the DfE and the Children’s Commissioner. Andrea Daubney, Assistant Director of Education at MCC, highlighted key data which shows severe absence is still rising in secondary schools. The transition from Year 6 to Year 7 was identified as a critical stage where attendance tends to dip. To address this issue, a Transitions Taskforce was established. The taskforce developed an absence predictor tool and provided targeted support to schools with the highest predicted absence rates for pupils moving from Year 6 to Year 7. This support included local community engagement, strengths-based home visits, and letters sent to all Year 7 families. As a result, these schools saw a significant decrease in persistent absence.
School leaders were invited on stage to share real-life success stories. Tonino Passarello, Deputy Headteacher at St Matthew’s RC High School, reflected on the importance of bringing together a strong team of passionate and experienced professionals, working together with senior leaders and pastoral staff. Gavin Shorthall, Executive Headteacher at St James’ and St Philip’s CE Primary Schools, explained how working together with families was critical to ensure their attendance strategy reflected pupils’ unique needs.
Keynote 3: Education Policy Institute
Emily Hunt, Associate Director at EPI
Emily Hunt, Associate Director at the Education Policy Institute, delivered a compelling keynote on school attendance data, exploring emerging trends and challenges across the country. We learned that severe absence rates have risen sharply, increasing by 250% between the 2018-19 and 2022-23 academic years. Additionally, around a third of pupils fall into the category of low-level absence, missing between 5–15% of school.
Worryingly, absence is widening pre-existing inequalities with worrying implications for longer-term life chances. We know that disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are disproportionately affected, as well as children facing social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) challenges. In light of this, the EPI calls for a meaningful absence strategy that addresses the underlying barriers – ranging from school belonging, parental engagement, and SEND to factors beyond the school gates, including poverty and mental health.
Keynote 4: Ofsted
Rachel Goodwin, Senior HMI
Rachel Goodwin, Senior HMI at Ofsted, shared valuable insights on the importance of school attendance and how it is assessed during inspection. In particular, Ofsted places significant emphasis on the rigorous analysis of absence data to identify specific patterns and pupil cohorts. This is essential in order for schools to have a strong understanding of the root causes of absence and a clear, actionable strategy to address them.
When a pattern is spotted, Ofsted encourages schools to engage with pupils and their parents to understand the barriers to attendance. This way, they can facilitate support and collaborate with the relevant multi-agency partners to help families overcome these barriers. If the problem persists, then schools should enforce attendance through statutory intervention. Otherwise, repeated absence will result in cumulative knowledge deficits, which seriously limits a child’s ability to acquire complex skills and significantly harms their future life chances.
Keynote 5: A Pupil Perspective on Improving Attendance
Pupils from Plymouth Grove Primary School
Next, we were delighted to welcome some very special guests – the talented pupils from Plymouth Grove Primary School. These pupils starred in and co-produced an inspirational film to raise awareness about school attendance. The film offered unique insights into pupils’ perspectives on why attendance is important, the challenges some children face in attending school, and the things we can do as a community to help. Pupils also shared a poem celebrating the joy and pride of being in school, with the memorable line, “Share the message loud and clear, your future starts in school right here.”
Some children were brave enough to stand on stage and share their thoughts on why attendance matters. One pupil explained it helps you “learn and make friends,” another said it’s key to “getting a good job,” while a third added, “so you’re not a couch potato!” Their contributions were met with loud applause from the audience. Hearing children speak about school attendance in their own words was an absolute highlight of the day!
Workshops
After a delicious lunch, delegates had the opportunity to attend a series of expert-led workshops, each offering valuable insights and practical strategies to improve school attendance. Educational Psychologists, Sarah Ward and Abigail Sterne, explored emotional barriers to school attendance, focusing on the links between neurodiversity and persistent absence. Meanwhile, Jen Kay, Strategic Lead for Manchester Inclusive Alternative Provision Strategy, delivered a workshop on the effective use of alternative provision to support attendance, reminding practitioners that AP should be used as an intervention – not a destination.
School Leaver Apprentices, Alesha Arshad and Eunice Engsi, led an engaging workshop on how we can use social media to promote parental engagement, while speakers from the Virtual School delivered an impactful session on engaging vulnerable learners, particularly children in care. These workshops left delegates inspired and equipped with new tools to tackle a wide range of attendance challenges.
Multi-Agency Panel Discussion
To finish off the conference, we enjoyed a multi-agency panel discussion with speakers from Manchester City Council, Social Care, Early Help and Family Hubs. Each panelist shed light on how their organisation could contribute to a coordinated, multi-agency approach in tackling barriers to attendance. For example, Early Help aims to prevent problems from escalating by providing support to families when a challenge first emerges. Interventions might include mentoring, relationship support, and a wide range of therapies. Similarly, Family Hubs act as a one-stop hub for families across the city, supporting them with employment, housing, food, health and other areas of need. A fitting conclusion to the event, this thoughtful discussion showcased how our collective efforts can drive meaningful improvements in school attendance.
And with that, we come to the end of the Attendance Conference 2025!
We had a wonderful day, networking with like-minded professionals, exchanging thoughts and ideas, and collaborating to improve school attendance. We hope delegates gained a clearer understanding of the challenges we face and the strategies we can use to overcome them.
As we continue to build on best practice and drive improvements, remember our Pupil Attendance & Safeguarding Team is here to support you every step of the way.
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