1. Introduction
The Scottish Executive aims to promote good attendance at school. Absence from school disrupts learning, whatever the cause. This draft guidance replaces Circular 5/03 and the subsequent Addendum published in September 2003. It draws together advice on good practice and establishes requirements regarding classifying and recording attendance and absence.
In addition to the classification of attendance and absence, this guidance also seeks to explore and address wider issues around the promotion and management of good attendance and the prevention and reduction of absence.
There is one specific proposed change - to amend the classification of medical and dental appointments from attendance to authorised absence. Further information on this proposal is contained within section 2.13. A summary of all classifications is covered in section 10.3.
This draft guidance also seeks to make stronger links between absence and the protection of children. This is supported by funding for automated call systems in schools for immediate response to children who have not turned up at school and there is no explanation; and, by the Children Missing from Education service which supports local authorities with the tracing of children across local authority boundaries and cross-borders.
Status
This draft guidance is aimed at schools and education authority staff. It is issued by the Scottish Executive. It makes general references to law and legislation but is not an authoritative statement of the law. Interpretation of the law is a matter for legal advisers and ultimately the courts. Readers may wish to take legal advice regarding any particular set of circumstances.
We would welcome any comments on this draft. Comments should be sent or emailed to the contacts on the front cover. The deadline for comments is 27 February 2007.
Background and Context
Engaged and Involved is issued at an exciting time in Scottish education. Within Ambitious Excellent Schools ( SEED 2004) we have made it clear that schools must help every child achieve their potential, using teachers' and professional staff experience and knowledge of individual children to personalise their learning. The Curriculum for Excellence ( SEED 2004) will ensure that we focus on helping all children become confident individuals, effective contributors, responsible citizens and successful learners.
Our ambitions for children follow on from significant work in Scottish education to ensure that all children get the support they need to learn and to enjoy school life. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 provides a framework for assessing children's needs and overcoming barriers to learning by planning and collaborating to provide support. Approaches to providing guidance and pastoral care in schools have been reviewed, and standards for personal support for all children have been established in Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential ( SEED, 2005).
Education authorities and partner agencies have been invited to bid for additional resources to develop their work with looked after children and with children of families experiencing domestic abuse. There is significant work underway nationally, promoting more effective partnership working in areas such as substance misusing parents ( Hidden Harm Action Plan June 2003), mental and emotional wellbeing ( National Programme for Improving Mental Health for Young People, September 2003) and young carers ( The Future of Unpaid Care in Scotland, Section 3, February 2006).
In addition, the importance of promoting good attendance at school is also highlighted by concerns about the safety and wellbeing of children who are not at school. Child protection is of paramount importance and non-attendance at school may indicate a child is at risk. Safe and Well - a handbook for child protection in education ( SEED, 2005) provides comprehensive advice on policies and procedures for schools. It also introduces the Children Missing from Education (Scotland) project which supports the tracing of children who have disappeared from view of schools and education authorities.
Children's safety and wellbeing can be compromised by their own behaviour. Young people may avoid school in order to focus on other activities such as anti-social behaviour, sometimes leading to more serious concerns of offending or substance misuse. Attendance at school should be clearly linked to schools' overall approaches to promoting positive behaviour in the context of Better Behaviour - Better Learning ( SEED, 2001). This includes the use of flexible curriculum, additional support staff, homelink workers, and a range of initiatives is being promoted by the Scottish Executive to help schools and education authorities develop children's pro-social behaviour, resolve conflict and tackle challenging behaviour, such as Restorative Practices, Solution Oriented Schools, Being Cool in School and The Motivated School ( www.betterbehaviourscotland.gov.uk).
For every child to achieve their potential, all schools must consider each pupil's positive engagement with learning and their level of involvement in the school community. The Scottish policy context in 2006 allows greater flexibility for professionals to develop creative approaches to enthusing and engaging learners, and for developing effective responses to the support needs of their pupils. There has been significant commitment to resourcing additional support staff to help schools in their work with pupils and their families, and an additional focus on children and young people experiencing particular difficulties. Schools and education authorities must now harness this support to ensure that attendance in every school, and for every child, is as good as it can be.