Boosting attendance for vulnerable students:
Click here to watch this webinar on catch-up
For many young people attendance at school feels impossible. From criminal exploitation and other safeguarding issues to school avoidance and mental health barriers, there are so many reasons why this is.
Some students, when they do attend, fail to engage in lessons and/or struggle to obey school rules. Many of those who disengage are vulnerable learners who need our help to attend, be attentive and achieve their potential.
This webinar discussed some of these barriers and, more importantly, what schools can do to remove or reduce them and improve the attendance and punctuality of vulnerable students. The panel explored the causes of disengagement and suggest practical solutions.
This webinar was hosted by Matt Bromley, an education writer and advisor with more than 20 years’ experience in teaching and leadership including as a secondary school headteacher, principal, FE college vice-principal, and MAT director. Matt's guests were:
- Dr Pooky Knightsmith, Creative Education. Pooky is a passionate ambassador for mental health, wellbeing and PSHE. Her work is backed up both by a PhD in child and adolescent mental health and her own lived experience of PTSD, anorexia, self-harm, anxiety and depression. Pooky is a regular contributor to SecEd and the SecEd Podcast.
- Ben Eason is deputy headteacher and the designated safeguarding lead at Rainham School for Girls in Gillingham, Kent, part of The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT). Ben is also the Regional Lead for TKAT’s pastoral tutoring programme A Champion for Every Child.
- Paul Haigh is headteacher of King Ecgbert School in Sheffield, part of the Mercia Learning Trust, as well as a regular contributor to the SecEd Podcast and long-standing member of the SecEd editorial board.
Key questions discussed during the webinar
- Who are our vulnerable learners?
- To what extent is the attendance of these learners lower than their peers?
- Why is the attendance of vulnerable learners lower?
- Why has this got worse since Covid?
- Do you think this will persist? For how long?
We explored some key causes of absenteeism, our guests' experiences in their own schools, and what we can do to mitigate each factor:
- Anxiety and mental health issues
- Poverty
- Housing
- Illness
- More parents working from home
- Special needs and disabilities
- Getting out of the habit
The SecEd Webinar runs every half-term. For general information about the SecEd Webinar, including forthcoming episodes and to register for free, visit www.bigmarker.com/series/the-seced-webinar1/series_summit