Decision details

The report presented by Frances Molloy, School Attendance Lead, Directorate for Children and Young People, outlined the most recent attendance and exclusion figures for primary, secondary and special schools in Lancashire, with national comparators.  The attendance data included overall and persistent absence figures and a ranking in relation to statistical neighbours. For each of the areas of attendance and exclusion there was a brief summary of support for schools, and in the case of attendance this included support for families.

Members raised a number of comments and questions and the main points arising from the discussion are summarised below:

·  It was emphasised that young people were never excluded from school because they had mental health issues; it was behaviour which would lead to such a decision, however, it was acknowledged that behaviour could well be linked to mental health, in which case such difficulties would be addressed in an appropriate way.

·  It was confirmed that some schools have dedicated units for children in need of support and there was also a range of mechanisms for managing the sort of behaviour which could affect the smooth running of the school. Relationships with families were a key part of this and, unfortunately some families were not able to provide their child(ren) with the necessary security and emotional wellbeing which could in turn lead to very challenging behaviour. It was more difficult for small schools to provide the resources to manage challenging behaviour.

·  It was felt that in some cases external pressures would influence a decision to exclude a child.

·  Schools were positive about working with the county council in exploring the most effective ways of supporting schools in order to help prevent exclusions.

·  Regarding special schools, it was explained that pupils could have profound and complex difficulties and absence from school was sometimes an inevitable consequence. The Committee was assured that there were links into hospital education and other provision to ensure that children with medical conditions could still access education.

·  One member reported a very successful school 'walking bus' which had targeted those children with family issues and which had dramatically improved attendance. It was suggested that such examples of good practice be published on the schools portal.

·  It was acknowledged that the child could be empowered to effectively reach out to the parent(s) responsible for getting them up and ready for school.

·  It was explained, by way of clarification, that reference in the report to publish an offer which clearly outlined the expectations of schools and Lancashire services in relation to supporting pupils' social, emotional and behavioural needs was essentially a restatement of what was already in place; it was more about ensuring that it was all in one place.

·  It was explained that the world was changing to the extent that a number of children, some as young as four, were finding it difficult to cope in school, as a result schools were facing new challenges and the need to adapt their approach.

·  It was reported that there was now less training in behaviour management strategies for newly qualified teachers, which was not helpful.

·  It was felt also that the provision of free nursery education was leading to some unintended consequences as some parents appeared to be using the provision as a babysitting service and neglecting their responsibility to nurture and prepare their child for school.

Resolved: That,

  i.  Officers be thanked for their report and for the work being done to address school attendance ; and

  ii.  A further update report be provided in twelve months.