Attendance in Glasgow’s Schools
School attendance is important, not only in promoting attainment but also supporting the health and wellbeing for all learners. In Glasgow, schools use a range of approaches to promote school attendance and to respond to children and young people who find it difficult to attend school. Promoting good attendance is a multifaceted task that requires schools to promote positive relationships within an inclusive ethos and culture. Children and young people are more likely to be motivated to attend school when they feel fully included and engaged in the wider life of the school. Families are also likely to encourage full attendance where they also feel part of the school community and where schools work alongside them as equal partners. High quality learning and teaching, and assessment with a key focus on additional support needs is also fundamental to the maintenance of good attendance. Wherever possible schools are encouraged to involve and engage with community partners to ensure that CYP and their families are supported. Pastoral care staff also play a key role in supporting attendance (The Scottish Government, 2019a).
Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance
Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSNA) is a broad umbrella term relating to emotional factors which impact on a child or young person’s ability to attend school, often resulting in prolonged absences. Within school contexts, you are probably familiar with a variety of terms used when talking about children who are absent from school for prolonged periods. It is important to make a clear distinction between children and young people who are absent from school due to truanting, for example, and those who are absent from school due to the specific emotional distress they experience around attending school.
EBSNA is complex and there are likely to be various interlinked factors as to why a child or young person might be finding it difficult to attend school. These factors will likely include the child or young person, their family and the school environment. To support EBSNA there are some key factors to consider which reflects the evidence base of factors associated with positive outcomes: early intervention, working with parents, young people and school staff, a flexible manner, emphasising the need for a rapid return to school, additional support and school adaptations. This fits well with Glasgow’s staged intervention model, thinking about the role of schools in terms of early intervention and where wider support agencies can provide consultation and advice to support schools with their thinking and planning.
Glasgow’s Attendance Practice Guidelines
The Attendance Strategy Group are pleased to share Glasgow’s Attendance Practice Guidelines which have been developed to support pupil attendance across the city. The practice guidelines provide advice in how to support pupils who are struggling with attendance. The revised School Attendance Policy for Glasgow will be published over the summer, and we will be providing updates over the next few months.
Glasgow School’s Attendance Practice Guidelines
Linked below are additional resources which are discussed throughout the practice guidelines:
GCC Management Circular 05a: A Positive Approach to the Promotion of Attendance Glasgow School
Nuttall & Woods paper – Effective intervention for school refusal behaviour
Workbook for Gathering Children’s Views
School Refusal Assessment Scale for Children and Young People
School Refusal Assessment Scale for School Staff
Introduction and Scoring of the School Refusal Assessment Scale
Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale Website (for tools and scoring)
Solution Oriented Meeting Structure
