Intro to Improving School Attendance. A Whole School Approach to Wellbeing

Although London has one of the lowest school attendance rates in the country, some boroughs face significantly higher-than-average absence—and severe absenteeism has almost tripled since the pandemic.

Falling attendance impacts academic performance, wellbeing, and behaviour. Recent requirements for schools to report on attendance data have also created additional pressure for teachers and school staff.

Groundwork London’s Education & Wellbeing Team has been successfully supporting schools across Southwark and beyond, using a whole-school approach to wellbeing and working directly with young people to understand both the barriers to attendance and the solutions that help them return to the classroom.

Based on our extensive experience in over 60 schools, we’ll explore the real barriers to attendance and share practical, proven solutions tailored for London schools.

Our approach prioritises a sustainable, ‘support-first’ model that addresses the root causes of absence and empowers educators to create meaningful, whole-school change.

In this 30-minute introduction to Improving School Attendance with a Whole-School Approach to Wellbeing, we will share key learnings, best practices, and examples of successful interventions.

We’ll explore the two core questions our team asks when working with non-attendance:

• What is pulling the young person towards home?
• What is pushing the young person away from school?

This free webinar is designed for teachers, headteachers, senior leaders, support staff, youth workers, mentors, and creative or integrative therapists interested in improving attendance through a wellbeing-focused approach.