Agenda item

To detail the application of the county’s policy with respect to school attendance.

The Education Social Work (ESW) Team Leader introduced the report and appendices (previously circulated) detailing their contents.  He explained the difference between authorised and unauthorised absences and the process followed prior to the issuing of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs).  All process relating to school absences were highlighted in school publications to ensure that every parent was aware of their responsibilities and of the consequences of not sending their child to school. 

The management of school absences was devolved to each individual school.  However, the Council did regularly monitor absences and as part of the Schools Standard Monitoring Group (SSMG) process headteachers and chairs of governors were held accountable for their school’s performance in relation to managing absences as well academic attainment.  The Education Social Work (ESW) Team also monitored school absence rates on a monthly basis, taking into account Free School Meals (FSMs) and Looked After Children (LAC) factor.

Members advised that they had requested the report on the basis of statistical information and a press release they had seen some time ago, as they were concerned that poverty levels in the county would not improve if pupils were absent from schools for long periods at a time.  Responding to members’ questions officers advised that:

·         records were not kept at county level with respect of ‘authorised absences’ as such absences had been granted by headteachers;

·         headteachers had been keen for the Council to apply FPNs consistently across the county.  Since the date this had been stringently implemented there had been a considerable increase in the number of warning letters/FPNs issued.  However, this was expected to fall once parents realised that the Council would not be hesitant in enforcing the policy;

·         the County did regularly monitor and check whether schools applied all policies and procedures.  Attendance at school was key as it affected life outcomes for the pupils;

·         regular unauthorised non-attendance at school was examined in detail to establish the underlying reasons for a child’s absence.  In such cases the Council would then offer relevant appropriate support to the child and the family to help overcome any barriers and get them engaged with the education system;

·         for the most challenging pupils there were opportunities via the TRAC Project.  This had been a very successful Project in Denbighshire and had helped the county to move from 19^th position to 16^th position in the Wales ranking.  Whilst getting pupils engaged with the Project was in the main the responsibility of the school, they were supported by the Corporate ESW Team;

·         a number of schools were now employing their own Attendance Officers;

·         under the Welsh Government’s All Wales Attendance Framework headteachers had discretion to permit up to 10 days authorised absence.  There had recently been a High Court appeal against Isle of Wight Council who had served an FPN on a parent for taking his daughter out of school on holiday despite a request for ‘authorised absence’ being declined.  The appeal was upheld and since then legal teams across the UK had been examining the judgement to determine whether policies and procedures required to be tightened;

·         despite the fact that a number of parents were initially averse to officers telephoning them about their child’s attendance at school, in the majority of cases by the conclusion of the conversation they understood the Council’s reasons and concerns;

·         performance was improving in this area and it would continually be monitored with a view to improving performance even further for the benefit of all pupils; and

·         whilst the All Wales Attendance Framework applied to all education authorities in Wales, policies and procedures in this area were not applied consistently across the country.

Prior to the conclusion of the discussion officers agreed to circulate to members information on unauthorised absences and free school meals data at each of the County’s schools. Members raised concerns with respect to the latter point above and asked that their concerns in relation to this be noted as they felt that this may affect Denbighshire’s ranking in the performance table.  Having reviewed the information provided the Committee:

Resolved: subject to the above observations to -

(i)            endorse the policies and strategies utilised to improve pupil attendance in Denbighshire’s schools;

(ii)          note the improved performance attained to date; and

(iii)         register their concerns that not all authorities across Wales were applying the policies and procedures in relation to unauthorised absences as stringently as Denbighshire.