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Attendance and Inclusion support from the Local Authority

Education Inclusion Handbook:

All information about the LA support is online for schools and all lead professionals. The handbook is a comprehensive guidance on procedures relating to attendance and inclusion including Southwark’s 3 Stage Approach to attendance. Please check out the link: https://services.southwark.gov.uk/childcare-and-parenting/children-s-social-care/family-early-help-feh/education-inclusion-handbook

 

Penalty Notices: There has been a concerted effort by the DfE to ‘streamline’ the Penalty Notice legislation and they have introduced a National Framework for Penalty Notices (see page 56 of WTTISA). The new framework is firmly embedded in the ‘support first’ approach and Southwark’s Penalty Notice Code of Conduct reflects that ‘support first’ way of working. The Education Inclusion Team will be available to guide the school through the Penalty Notice referral process and answer any questions you may have.  There is an updated Penalty Notice Code of Conduct and online referral which can be found in the Education Inclusion Handbook.

 

Training Opportunities:

The Education Inclusion Team (EIT) are offering training sessions focused on the WTTISA statutory guidance and the new Penalty Notice guidance. These sessions will provide valuable insight into best practices and effective strategies for handling attendance issues. Schools are encouraged to discuss registration with Kym Winup, Service Manager for Attendance and Inclusion on kym.winup@southwark.gov.uk for these sessions to enhance their understanding and implementation of attendance policies.

 

Studybugs:

Thank you to the schools sharing live pupil and attendance data with the local authority via Studybugs. This data helps us create a targeted attendance strategy to support at-risk children. We are pleased to announce that from September 2024, Studybugs can retrieve live suspension data directly from your system, eliminating the need for manual notifications to inform the LA of suspensions. For schools not yet sharing data, please note that from August 2024 all schools are required to allow the LA access to their admissions and attendance registers. Southwark Council has chosen Studybugs for secure and timely data access, and the cost is covered by the LA. We believe Studybugs offers a convenient and secure compliance method. Schools not using Studybugs must provide LA officers access through another method and still submit suspensions manually. To register with Studybugs please visit https://studybugs.com/la/southwark/register . To start sharing live suspensions data simply email support@studybugs.com where a Studybugs technician will assist with setting up the link. 

 

Targeting Support Meetings (TSMs) and Team Around the School (TAS) Meetings:

Southwark are committed to meeting the duties as outlined in the WTTISA guidance and Targeting Support Meetings (TSM) are a significant part of these duties so we can identify children who are severely absent without a plan, or persistently absent in need of a multi-agency approach so that children, and young people and their families receive support as early as possible. In primary schools the current TAS meetings will incorporate the TSM component. The LA will have contacted you to arrange your TAS/TSM meeting over this academic year.

 

Department for Education Attendance Toolkit:

For resources and guidance on improving school attendance, please refer to the Department for Education  School Attendance Tool Kit.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance/toolkit-for-schools-communicating-with-families-to-support-attendance

 

Feedback from the Keeping Children in Education Event:

Earlier this term, we held the "Keeping Children in Education" event, which garnered positive feedback from attendees. Schools and partners contributed to the event and participants highlighted the importance of Attendance is Everybody’s Business and communication and relationships are vital in improve the life changes of our young people. The insights gathered will help shape future events and strengthen our collaborative approach to education. We are excited to announce plans for another "Keeping Children in Education" event scheduled for March. Details regarding the date and registration will be shared soon, and we encourage all schools to participate.

 

Thank you for your collaborative and ongoing efforts to support student attendance and engagement in education. Together, we can make a difference!