What can poor attendance at school tell us?
Poor attendance at school tells us that a young person is missing education.
What the attendance percentage cannot always tell us is why.
Two pupils may have exactly the same attendance figure while experiencing completely different barriers.
One may be struggling with transport. Another may be experiencing anxiety. Another may be avoiding a particular lesson or peer group. Another may be finding learning difficult. Another may have become disconnected from education.
This is why attendance data should often be treated as the beginning of the conversation rather than the end of it.
What can cause poor school attendance?
There is no single cause of poor attendance.
Possible barriers may include social or emotional difficulties, anxiety, bullying, family circumstances, transport or logistical problems, academic difficulty, feeling unsafe, difficulties with peer relationships, poor engagement with learning, SEND-related needs or a lack of belonging.
These factors should not be assumed simply because attendance has fallen.
The purpose of identifying possible barriers is to help schools ask better questions.
Look at the attendance pattern
The overall percentage is important.
The pattern behind it may be just as useful.
Schools could review repeated Monday or Friday absence, rising lateness, particular lessons being missed, absence following specific events, sudden changes in attendance, gradual decline over several weeks, and patterns around transitions or timetable changes.
This can help move the conversation from:
“Their attendance is 82%.”
to:
“What exactly is happening within that 82%?”
What are the early warning signs of attendance problems?
Persistent absence may sometimes be preceded by smaller changes.
Possible early indicators could include increasingly frequent lateness, occasional unexplained absence becoming more regular, reduced participation, falling academic engagement, withdrawal, changes in behaviour, frustration with school, repeated physical complaints or loss of motivation.
None of these automatically proves why attendance is falling.
They can be prompts for an earlier conversation.
Ask the pupil about their experience
One of the most direct ways to understand attendance difficulties is to speak to the young person.
Questions could include:
Which part of the school day do you find most difficult?
Is there anything at school you are trying to avoid?
When do you find school easiest?
Is there anyone in school you feel comfortable speaking to?
What would make coming in feel more manageable?
The pupil may not provide the full answer, but their perspective can still add information that attendance data cannot.
Work with families rather than only contacting them
Families may also hold important information.
Attendance conversations can become less productive when communication only happens after things have gone wrong.
Schools could ask:
What is making mornings difficult?
Has anything changed recently?
What have you already tried?
Is there practical support that could help?
What can school and home each do?
Clear expectations should remain.
But problem-solving alongside families may reveal barriers that would otherwise remain hidden.
Is poor attendance an inclusion issue?
Sometimes.
If a young person feels unable to access learning, unsafe in the environment or disconnected from school life, attendance may be linked to their wider experience of inclusion.
This does not mean every attendance concern is caused by the school environment.
It means attendance teams may benefit from connecting their work with behaviour, safeguarding, SEND and pastoral information where appropriate.
Seven questions attendance teams can ask
1. When did the attendance pattern begin?
2. What happened around that time?
3. Are particular days, lessons or times affected?
4. What does the young person say?
5. What does the family say?
6. What support has already been tried?
7. What would realistic improvement look like first?
How can schools improve attendance?
There is no single attendance intervention that will work for every young person.
Depending on the circumstances, schools may consider early conversations, mentoring, pastoral support, family engagement, adjustments to the school day, targeted attendance support, Alternative Provision or support from external agencies where appropriate.
The intervention should follow the barrier rather than assuming every pupil needs the same response.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is persistent absence?
Schools should use the current Department for Education definition and guidance when determining persistent absence and attendance thresholds.
Why does a pupil keep missing the same day every week?
There could be many explanations. Rather than assuming the cause, schools can look at the timetable, transport, family circumstances, peer relationships and the pupil’s own perspective.
Can attendance be linked to behaviour?
Sometimes attendance and behaviour patterns may overlap. Looking across both sets of information can help schools identify whether a wider pattern of disengagement is developing.
When should a school consider additional support?
Where attendance continues to deteriorate despite existing support, schools may need to review the barriers, involve other professionals or consider whether a different educational approach is appropriate.
The percentage is the starting point
At Bouncing Statistics, we believe attendance figures matter.
But they do not always tell us enough on their own.
The professional question is not only:
“How do we increase this pupil’s attendance?”
It is also:
“What is happening for this young person, and what might help them reconnect with education?”
If your school is experiencing attendance and engagement challenges and would like to explore additional support, book a Discovery Call with Bouncing Statistics.