Best Practice

School absence and parental engagement: Seven approaches

Attendance Pastoral issues Pupil wellbeing Parental engagement
No matter what strategies we adopt to reduce absenteeism, it will involve a focus on parental engagement. Paul Jenkins offers ideas and advice for schools looking to boost student attendance
Missing: In the autumn term 2024, 22.7% of secondary school students were categorised as persistently absent, meaning they are missing 10% of their schooling - Adobe Stock

Persistent and severe absence is a growing problem for many secondary schools

Recent data on severe absence (students who miss at least 50% of school sessions) shows that 2.1% of students are severely absent, equating to 158,000 young people. This figure is up from 0.8% in 2018/19. At secondary level, 3.5% of students are severely absent, an increase from 1.2% in 2018/19 (DfE, 2024).

And figures on persistent absence (students who miss at least 10%) show that in the autumn term 2024, 22.7% of secondary students were categorised as such – this being a marginal improvement on autumn 2023 but still very concerning (DfE, 2025).

It was brought home recently when charity School-Home Support marked the first School Attendance Gap Day on February 4 – the de factor end of the school year for severely absent students.

Statistics from the DfE show the link between absence and attainment at key stage 4. Students who did not achieve Grades 4 to 9 in English and maths GCSE in 2018/19 had an average absence rate of 8.8%, while the average absence rate for students who did achieve this benchmark was 5.2%. Students who achieved grades 5 to 9 in English and maths GCSE had the lowest absence rate on average at 3.7% (Long & Roberts, 2025).

 

Tackling absence

Schools are under pressure to turn the tide on absenteeism, and since the sharing of attendance data with the Department for Education (DfE) was made mandatory at the start of the 2024/25 academic year, the spotlight on attendance couldn’t be brighter.

What can we do to get these young people back into class to give them the opportunity to achieve the grades they need for further education or work-based training success?

It is a tricky question to answer because the reasons for absence are many and varied.

The root causes can range from emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) or a lack of parental support, to families who are willing to take term-time holidays. We know that students with SEND or those from disadvantaged backgrounds are also more likely to be absent from school.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to getting students back into the classroom and each situation requires a different approach. But however you decide to tackle it at your school, parental engagement will be fundamental to your success – it is the golden thread to good attendance. Families must be involved and pulling in the same direction as the school.

As such, here are seven ways you might be able to engage with parents more effectively on this crucial issue.

  1. Look for points of commonality not conflict: If things get heated, circle back to the point of agreement; put the child at the centre. While parents and schools might have different opinions and outlooks which can cause conflict, the one thing they can generally agree on is that they both want the child to do well at school and get the best education they can. Focusing on what you have in common can make it easier to engage parents in discussions over absence.
  2. Don’t judge: Address every reason presented, even if you think it is an excuse. It is a reason to the parent and taking it seriously shows that you are there to problem-solve and not blame. Working with families to tackle persistent absence requires an open mind and a willingness to be supportive and work through barriers together without judgement. Some parents may have had bad experiences at school themselves, or they may have needs that aren’t being met. Do not think that you “know the story” without getting to know a family. Trying to release any preconceived notions about disengaged parents will help get past the barriers.
  3. Use data and numbers that parents can relate to: Attendance percentages and age-related expectations don’t mean a lot to parents. It is better to talk to families in a language they understand. This could mean illustrating attendance percentages in the equivalent of days/lessons/hours of lost learning over the course of a year or by highlighting the correlation between lower attendance and GCSE outcomes with data from your school (to personalise it further).
  4. Get the right people in front of the right people: Positive conversations about absence are more fruitful when there is an established relationship between the school and the student or their family. Choose the best person for the job. This could be the pastoral lead, a form teacher, or maybe a head of year – whoever the family already knows or responds well to. For older children, attendance conversations could take place directly with the student.
  5. Know how to motivate your community: If you are clear about what the “pulls” to your school are for your community, you can tailor your approach. For example, your message might focus on the long-term effects of attendance on attainment for some, for others it might be the fear of missing out on amazing experiences and opportunities (which of course you are sharing on social media and in your newsletters). When you know your community well you will understand what the strongest drivers are and what communication tools will have the most impact.
  6. Have a strong attendance policy and stick to it: A robust policy outlines what is expected of parents with regards to attendance and is clear about the preventative and reactive actions the school will take to tackle casual and persistent absence. The policy should outline the consequences (and any escalation of these) for not adhering to the school policy, and these should be enforced so that parents and students understand how important attendance is. Make sure the policy is readily accessible on your website and shared with parents so they better understand the role they play in maintaining good attendance.
  7. Keep pushing the message: To succeed in reducing absence, attendance needs to be front of mind for families as well as students. Taking a day off here and there quickly becomes a habit, so it is best to be proactive. Reinforce the message through emails and letters home, and through assemblies for students. Rather than focusing on attendance as a target to be hit, focus on changing hearts and minds and the reasons why every day matters.

 

Final thoughts

There are no quick fixes for tackling persistent absence. Building trust and relationships with parents, the key stakeholder in raising attendance rates, takes time and continued effort. But with consistent outreach and targeted conversations – plus a willingness on all sides to engage – you can find strategies to improve attendance for every student to help ensure they get a great education and build the solid foundations for whatever they want to do next.

  • Paul Jenkins is secondary effectiveness advisor specialising in curriculum at HFL Education. Formerly Herts for Learning, HFL Education is a not-for-profit organisation providing services, training and resources for schools. This year SecEd is working with HFL Education to publish a series of subject-specific best practice articles. Find all the articles in this series via www.sec-ed.co.uk/authors/hfl-education 

 

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