Tardy pupils used to be greeted with a wry “how nice of you to join us”, but teachers should drop this kind of sarcasm to tackle the absence crisis, experts say.
About 1.4 million pupils in England are persistently absent from school, missing at least a day a fortnight, and more than 140,000 are severely absent, skipping at least half of lessons.
New research suggests that punishments are less effective than building relationships with children and their families, and encourages teachers to praise pupils when they attend school. It says teachers should acknowledge the return of pupils who have been off by saying how good it is to see them, but ensure their greeting does not sound sarcastic.
Other suggested tactics to boost attendance include: rewards; fun activities; identifying areas in schools where pupils feel threatened, such as corridors and toilets; and giving more emotional support to children in their second year of secondary school, when they are less protected than new starters.
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About 24 per cent of secondary pupils were persistently absent in the autumn term of this year and more than 3 per cent were severely absent.
The report, published by ImpactEd Evaluation, is based on attendance data of 300,000 pupils plus analysis of strategies adopted by schools with particular challenges.
It recommends a whole-school approach, where every child is known and has a sense of belonging.
Figures show attendance drops sharply after October, so it is vital to work hard with families in the first weeks of the academic year, the report says.
The authors analysed questionnaires from pupils at more than 500 schools about their reasons for being absent.
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Most children knew the consequences of skipping lessons but far fewer felt their teachers cared when they missed school. Girls were more likely to miss school than boys from Year 9 onwards and were less likely to feel like they belonged at school.
Transition support that helps pupils move from primary to secondary school needs to be extended to the next year of secondary, the report says, with a steep decline in children having a sense of safety in school after that first year.
The report adds: “Individual attention and greeting pupils by name can help to build a sense of personal connectedness, for example noticing if pupils are returning after absence: ‘We missed you yesterday Mary – it’s nice to see you back in’.”
It cites one school in Devon targeting pupils with low attendance, saying: “Every conversation that members of staff have with these pupils is about welcoming them into school, engaging them and making them feel valued.
“Teachers comment on how good it is to see pupils in lessons, without sarcasm: ‘So pleased to see you in today’s lesson. We’re learning something really important for this topic’.”
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Charter School in south London introduced interclass poetry competitions, five-a-side football and basketball shooting contests, with rewards for participation to encourage attendance.
A new system alerts form tutors to which pupils are returning after an absence and the school makes pupils feel they have been missed and are greeted on their return. Teachers are asked to say: “We missed you yesterday — we’re really happy to see you back.” The head stands at the school gates greeting pupils by name.
Gillian Keegan, the previous education secretary, had described school attendance as her number one priority.
Head teachers said the new government needed to accept schools could do only so much to tackle absences.
Sam Strickland, the head of The Duston School in Northampton, said: “There needs to be a realisation that schools can only do so much. Not all parents value education. [The attitude of] ‘It’s only a day or two’ is a thing. The Friday phenomenon is a thing. Term time holiday requests exploding is a thing.”
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Some pupils attended only 40 per cent of school, while some families took up to four family holidays in term time, he said, adding that tackling absences was “unsustainable without a large team and ultimately that costs”.
Another teacher said on Twitter/’X: “It’s not just holidays. Attendance suffering the day after an England football match, parents saying ‘we’ve only just woken up’ as an excuse for a day off.
“A new thing is, before holidays, children having acrylic nails fitted. That means more time off due to health and safety.”
