Attendance partner coordination procedure

Applicability

This procedure applies to maintained and academy schools in England where attendance barriers require support beyond the school gates or coordinated work with local partners.

Responsibility

The attendance lead role, [attendance lead role], coordinates the school’s work with relevant local partners and ensures that responsibilities, information-sharing and follow-up are recorded.

Where coordination involves a partner organisation, the school should identify the relevant partner liaison role, [partner liaison role], for communication and follow-up.

Procedure

1. Identify the need for partner coordination

Consider whether the attendance barrier requires support beyond the school gates or coordinated work with another organisation. Identify the services and organisations relevant to the circumstances, which may include social care, health, police, early-help services, and voluntary or community organisations.

2. Establish contact with relevant partners

Use the school’s established arrangements to contact the relevant local statutory, voluntary or community partner. Build and maintain links with local partners so that attendance barriers can be addressed through coordinated support.

3. Coordinate support

Share the information required for the partner to understand the attendance barrier and coordinate the agreed support. Confirm the respective responsibilities of the school and partner, including the person or role responsible for each agreed action.

4. Record the coordination

Record the partner contacted, the reason for coordination, the responsibilities agreed, the information shared, and the support or actions agreed with the relevant organisation.

5. Follow up

Follow up with the relevant partner to check progress against the agreed actions and record the outcome, any continuing attendance barrier, and any further coordinated support required.

Relevant partners

The school should work effectively with local partners, including statutory services such as social care, health and police, and with voluntary and community organisations, where their involvement may help remove attendance barriers that go beyond the school gates.