School attendance strategy 2026 to 2029

Every child deserves the very best opportunity for a healthy, happy and successful life. In Lincolnshire, we want all children to be ready and able to access school, and to benefit from safe, inclusive and high-quality education.

Meaningful engagement across services is key to improving school attendance by recognising it as a collective responsibility. When priorities are aligned across education, early help, social care, health, and partner agencies, services can work together more effectively to identify and tackle the root causes of absence. This involves clearly defined roles, shared use of data and intelligence, and coordinated early intervention approaches that provide timely support to families before concerns escalate.

There are many excellent examples of effective practice already taking place across schools, teams and partner organisations in relation to attendance management. This is supported through a wide range of established approaches, services and interventions that contribute to improving pupil attendance. These include:

• Family Help Strategy 2026-2029 Lincolnshire’s Family Help Strategy will measure success through a reduction in the proportion of children who are persistently absent from education. The strength of the Family Help offer ensures that children, young people and their carers are able to raise concerns about school attendance at an early stage. This enables professionals to take timely, proportionate action for the appropriate duration, as part of a support-first approach. It also supports schools to address the underlying causes of absence before attendance itself becomes the primary concern. Team Around the Child – Professional resources (lincolnshire.gov.uk).
• Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) pathway Introduced in January 2022, this pathway provides schools with guidance and support to address absence linked to anxiety, including emotionally based school avoidance. It enables early identification and intervention to support pupils experiencing barriers to attendance related to their emotional wellbeing.
• Best Start in Life - Support early years to embed the importance of attending a provision; good attendance in pre-school setting is a strong indicator of good attendance later in the child’s education. Support for childcare providers – How to deliver funded childcare - Lincolnshire County Council,
• The Children and Young People’s Nursing (CYPN) Service plays a key role in supporting children with long-term medical conditions that impact on school attendance. By working in partnership with families, schools and wider professionals, the service helps to identify and address health-related barriers to attendance, enabling reasonable adjustments and supporting safe access to education. Through coordinated, multi-agency working, the CYPN Service promotes continuity of learning, supports self-management of conditions, and ensures children remain engaged in education wherever possible, recognising that good attendance is closely linked to improved health and wellbeing outcomes.
• Healthy Minds/CAMHS (SEMH strategy) provides for all children under 19 (and up to 25 with SEND) to access support with their emotional wellbeing and to help address the factors affecting their inability to attend school. The social, emotional and mental health strategy for Lincolnshire demonstrates the commitment to supporting children to achieve better mental health and enjoy their time at school
• Futures4me - A specific Early Help response focusing on support for young people who may be at risk of being in the criminal justice system and/or committing crimes and likely to be absent from school as part of this.
• Young Carers - A specific Early Help resource focusing on support for children and young people who find themselves caring for others, within the home or extended family; a role that is most likely to impact on their ability to attend school regularly.
• Behaviour Outreach Support Service (BOSS) - Support for schools to respond effectively to behaviours that may impact a child's participation in school activities and attendance.
• SEND Graduated Approach the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle provides a framework for considering the impact of a child's special educational needs on attendance and incorporating this into planning.
• Ethnic Minority and Traveller education - Support for those new to the UK or who may have different experiences of education which impacts on their understanding of parental expectations around attendance or ability to participate fully, adding risk to good attendance.
• Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership Focus on keeping children safe and are committed to understanding and addressing the risks associated with non -attendance for our most vulnerable groups. LSCP Child Neglect Strategy and Neglect Scales Local Resources
• Virtual School - Regular monitoring of provision for Children in Care and focus on improving achievement of children with a social worker, including whether they are in school and attending well.
• Voluntary Sector A wide range of organisations with specific expertise who can work with individuals and families on the particular issues that are impacting on a child’s ability to attend school.
• Alternative Provision Education arranged by local authorities for pupils who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education; or education arranged by schools for pupils on a fixed-period exclusion; or pupils to support engagement, address barriers to learning, and promote positive educational outcome.