Service

The School Attendance Support Team supports schools to develop and share best practice in relation to improving school attendance and reducing persistent absence.  

The team does not work directly with pupils or their families, but will signpost and support schools to access services that are able to work intensively with families to provide practical whole-family support, where needed, to tackle the causes of absenteeism and unblock the barriers to attendance.  

The team will also take forward attendance legal intervention (using the full range of parental responsibility measures) where voluntary support has not been successful or engaged with. 

School Attendance Network 

The school attendance network meets termly and provides an opportunity for school attendance leads to identify current themes, share good practice, learn from each other and explore how we can work together to address some of the common challenges that schools are facing. Please contact schoolinclusion@bcpcouncil.gov.uk for the dates of future meetings and how to book a place.

Support regarding legal interventions, including Penalty Notices (PNS)

For more information, or to request a legal intervention such as prosecution or Penalty Notice, please refer to the 'Penalty Notice Handbook’ and associated FPN01 form and BCP Code of Conduct. 

If you require advice on the appropriateness of legal action for any case, or with the process itself, please contact the School Inclusion team on the contact details below. 

Improving Attendance:

Improving Attendance: good practice for schools and multi-academy trusts- Case Study 

Working together to improve school attendance - GOV.UK

Staff contact information and team details

For attendance related information and queries contact schoolinclusion@bcpcouncil.gov.uk