Education Welfare Academy Partnership Guide 2020-2021 - February 2021
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Education
Welfare
Academy
Partnership
Guide
2020-2021
February 2021
1
School attendance matters
Mission statement
The local authority (LA) considers that school attendance, and its improvement, is an integral part
of our raising achievement agenda. It is committed to an ongoing programme of support aimed at
working in partnership with schools, children, young people, parents and a wide range of partner
agencies to achieve improved attendance levels across the borough, therefore enabling children
and young people to have the best chance to fulfil their potential, irrespective of gender, race,
creed or religion.
Safeguarding - through school attendance, we can track the progress of all children, including
vulnerable groups, such as children in care and those subject to a Child Protection Plan, and
children missing education, as well as other groups at significant risk of slipping through the net.
Children not attending school regularly can also be an indicator that there are concerns at home.
This guidance is aimed at Academies that do not purchase additional support through the Traded
Service process and therefore do not have a Service Level Agreement in place.
The Education Welfare Service (EWS) fulfils both statutory and non-statutory functions in relation
to compulsory school aged children and young people, addressing issues related to:
admission and attendance registration
school attendance and absence
elective home education (EHE)
children missing from education (CME)
child employment
child entertainment
issuing licenses for chaperones
The service provides a specialist team of staff who are qualified and experienced in working with
schools to develop systems, procedures and interventions, and work in partnership with
organisations to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence. The team advises schools
and academies, alternative education providers, as well as parents and carers, other professionals
and employers regarding legislation in these areas and supports them in fulfilling their legal
responsibilities. Links to legislation, guidance and supporting templates can be found at
www.barnsley.gov.uk/education-welfare-service
Academies will have their own attendance and safeguarding policy which they should follow with
particular consideration of vulnerable groups and families.
Academies should follow the DFE and Education Welfare Promoting Pupil Attendance policy
Advice on Registration/ Attendance http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/56/contents
2Responsibilities of Academies
Implement effective systems and procedures for encouraging regular school attendance
and investigate the underlying causes of poor attendance; these should be clearly specified
within the school/academy Attendance Policy. A model school policy can be found on the
Education Welfare Service Website.
Comply with statutory regulations regarding admissions and attendance registration, and
relevant legislation, including the need to maintain accurate attendance and admission
registers in accordance with The Education (Pupil Registration - England) Regulations 2006.
Academies must inform the EWS when they are about to remove a pupils name from the
admission register under any of the fifteen grounds listed in the regulations 1 (Annex A).
This does not apply when a pupils name is removed from admission register at standard
transition points. Annex A can be found on the children missing education policy (CME).
Academies need to inform the EWS of cases where pupils meet the criteria for referral. The
referrals will be screened and discussed at the Education Welfare Panel meeting.
Where the Academy has not been able to confirm the location of the pupil by the 10th
School day of absence they should follow the Children Missing Education (CME) policy. This
can be found under useful resources at www.barnsley.gov.uk/education-welfare-service.
If after jointly making reasonable enquiries, with the local authority the academy has failed
to ascertain the whereabouts of the pupil and the pupil has been absent for a minimum of
20 school days, the academy can remove the pupil’s name from its admission register, in
line with the CME policy. However, confirmation must be obtained by the Education
Welfare Service before removing the pupil’s name from the school roll. The academy must
act in accordance with the Education Pupil Registration Regulations 2006.
Academies must notify the EWS within five days of adding a pupil’s name to the admission
register and must provide the EWS with all the information held within the admission
register about the pupil. This duty does not apply to pupils who are added to the admission
register at the start of the school’s youngest year – for example pupils who are registered
at a secondary school at the start of Year 7.
*Pupils missing out data collection. (Pupils who are on a school roll who are on a reduced
provision). Academies must complete the pupils missing out returns on a termly basis and
return it to BusinessImprovement&Intelligence@barnsley.gov.uk
*This is an Ofsted requirement).
3The Education Welfare Service has devised the pro-forma below to be completed by the Attendance lead in preparation for scheduled termly meetings with your link
Education Welfare Officer. This will serve as a tool for academies to audit absence trends and initiate the appropriate actions. Your link EWO will offer advice and
guidance regarding initiatives. It is anticipated that the Academy will identify the appropriate person with responsibility to meet.
EWO Link Worker Name:
Contact Details:
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE ACADEMY PRIOR TO THE MEETING
ATTENDANCE STATISTICS
Data and Comments
What is your whole school attendance and PA target?
What is your whole school attendance and PA to date
What strategies do you have in place to narrow the
gap?
Break down of attendance codes - what are the trends?
Break down attendance of vulnerable groups including
GRT/EAL
What are the barriers to preventing you from meeting
your attendance target? Be specific - understand your
data explore the following, no of pupils who will never
receive 100% due to time tables, the no of exclusions,
the % of the I code
What is the data showing you in relation to your
4vulnerable groups is the gap greater than local/national
data?
Advice given by EWS in relation to the above figures:
PERSISTENTLY ABSENT OR POOR ATTENDERS – Discussions of pupils where attendance is not improving despite intervention by academy. Inform
link EWO when there are 10 or more consecutive absences that is not as a consequence of CME or LOA.
Name/Number of children Current attendance and advice/guidance given
PARTIAL TIMETABLE/REDUCED PROVISION & PUPILS MISSING OUT – Discussion around pupils that are undertaking a partial timetable for
medical or other reasons
Name/Number of children Date of last data return & plans to return to full timetable
5CHILDREN MISSING IN EDUCATION - Discussion around pupils that have been referred as CME, or require referral to CME. Discuss forms and
procedure. Mention non-standard transition forms for in year transfers and CME forms to be completed.
Name/Number of children Date of Referral and advice/guidance given from EWS
ELECTIVE HOME EDUCATION - Has the Academy notified the LA of all students that have chosen to electively Home educate?
Name/Number of children Date of information shared with LA
PENALTY NOTICES – Have the academy adopted our new code of conduct and paperwork? Your link EWO will manage the PN’s for your academy.
Discuss refused PN's and any alternative and appropriate plans to improve the attendance of these children. Understand barriers including SEND and
behaviour issues, medical and mental health issues.
Number of PN’s Any support/training needs?
PN1
PN2
6EAL/GRT OR OTHER COHORTS – Does the Academy undertake any further work with other cohorts or require any further support?
Name/Number of children Intervention
ANY OTHER MATTERS
Is the Academy undertaking safe and well visits to
vulnerable children and families, particularly
during any national lockdowns and during the
COVID-19 pandemic?
Is the academy doing anything else to support
vulnerable children who are not attending their
setting? Is the academy submitting data to feed the
Children’s Vulnerability Tracker?
Does the academy have all up to date paperwork,
CME, EHE?
Has the Academy Attendance Policy been reviewed
and is it up to date?
Are you aware of the EWS Statutory referral
process, including how to fill in the EWS referral
7form with minimum standards?
Are there any safeguarding issues, wider concerns
or immediate issues such as COVID-19 support?
Is the Academy aware of the Traded Services
Model offered by EWS? Does the academy have a
copy of this?
8Signed ------------------ Print name--------------------- Attendance Lead
Signed--------------------- Print Name----------------- Link EWO
The information gathered at this meeting will be shared with the Education Welfare Service and
its colleagues within Barnsley Alliance and Early Start and Prevention, to support the Council in
Narrowing the Gap between Local and National attendance data and ensuring that the needs of
children young people and their families are being meet.
If you wish to discuss the information outlined in this booklet, please contact any of the following
team members.
Contact details
Jane Allen Derek Vint
Service Manager, Pupil Inclusion, attendance Area Manager,
and Education Welfare Education Welfare Service
Telephone: 01226 773191 Telephone:01226 773547
Email: janeallen@barnsley.gov.uk Email: derekvint@barnsley.gov.uk
Jake Miller Diane Richardson
Area Manager SEWO/Business Manager/CME/EHE
Education Welfare Service Education Welfare Service
Telephone: 01226 773542 Telephone: 01226 773545
Email: jakemiller@barnsley.gov.uk Email: dianerichardson2@barnsley.gov.uk
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