Attendance & Persistent Absence Support
A child who is not in school cannot learn, be supported, or be kept safe. Attendance has rightly become a central concern…
ExploreSchool Attendance Review
Good attendance is the foundation of everything else. When children are in school, they learn, they build friendships, and they stay safe. When they’re not, everything gets harder. But attendance problems are rarely simple, and it’s hard to see the full picture from the inside. An external review gives you an honest, outside look at how attendance really works in your school, what’s driving absence, and where you can make the biggest difference.
Below, we explain what an attendance review involves, and how it helps you get more children into school, more often.
What Is an Attendance Review?
It’s an independent check of how attendance works across your school. We look at your data, your policies, and what actually happens when a child starts to miss school. We use clear evidence to see how well you track, respond to, and improve attendance, what you do correctly, and where you can do better.
It gives you a reliable, honest picture of your attendance, free from internal bias. You see your school as an outsider sees it, with practical steps to build on.
Who Is an Attendance Review For?
It’s designed for all education settings: maintained schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts, Alternative Provisions, and SEND Units/Hubs. Headteachers, senior leaders, and attendance leads use a review to improve their approach, support staff, and show they take attendance seriously.
Many schools ask for one after a drop in attendance, a rise in persistent absence, a change in leadership, an inspection, or simply as good practice on a regular cycle.
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What Does an Attendance Review Include?
We cover every key part of attendance. You can choose a full review or focus on specific areas. Our most common areas include:
- Your attendance policy and how well it works in practice
- How you record, code, and monitor attendance data
- Your response to absence and how quickly it happens
- Persistent and severe absence and the pupils behind the numbers
- How you work with families to remove barriers
- Support for pupils with SEND, medical needs, or anxiety
- Use of early help and multi-agency support
- Staff roles, training, and confidence around attendance
- How attendance links to safeguarding and wellbeing
How an Attendance Review Helps Your School, Academy, Trust, or Alternative Provision
1
See what’s really driving absence
Numbers only tell part of the story. A review looks behind the data to find the real reasons children miss school. You learn what’s causing absence, so you can tackle the cause and not just the symptom.
2
Spot at-risk pupils early
Absence often builds slowly before it becomes a problem. An external review looks with fresh eyes. We find the pupils and patterns your systems might miss, so you can step in before absence becomes entrenched.
3
Support your staff
Chasing attendance is hard, relentless work. A review shows where training, systems, or support would help. It gives your team clearer roles and more confidence to act early and consistently.
4
Give clear proof for inspection
When inspectors ask about attendance, you have evidence. Our reports show what you do, how it works, and what checks you’ve made. This makes inspections smoother and less stressful.
5
Strengthen how you work with families
Attendance improves when families feel supported, not blamed. We look at how you communicate and build trust. This helps you remove barriers and bring more children back into school.
6
Support better decisions
You get clear facts, not guesswork. Leaders can plan staffing, support, and early help based on what the review shows. This makes your strategy stronger and more focused.
7
Keep children safe
Attendance and safeguarding are closely linked. A child who isn’t in school may be at risk. A review highlights where absence and safeguarding meet, so no child slips out of sight.
Book a quick, friendly callTwenty minutes with Shaun, our Founder and CEO, to explore how we can help you.
How Our Reviews Work
- 1We agree exactly what you want to cover and when.
- 2Our experienced team reviews your policies, data, and key records.
- 3We speak to leaders, staff, pupils, and families to understand how attendance works in real life.
- 4We look at your systems and see your approach in action where it helps.
- 5We gather facts and evidence only, no assumptions or bias, then produce a concise, easy-to-read report with findings and clear next steps.
- 6We work efficiently and focus only on what matters. Our independent view gives you a clear and accurate picture of your attendance.
What You Get at the End
You receive a high-quality written report. It includes:
- What your school does well and where it’s strong
- Exact areas where you need to improve or develop
- Practical, realistic recommendations you can use straight away
- Clear evidence you can show inspectors, governors, or trustees
Arrange a chatTell us your timescale and we'll tell you honestly whether we can meet it.
Key Features of Our Service
Objective, evidence-informed evaluation
Every finding is based on facts. You get clear assurance and clear priorities.
Flexible review models
Pick what you need: full review, targeted, or focused on a single area. We adapt to you.
Clear, professional reporting
Reports are simple to understand. They help you improve and prove your standards.
Why Choose Jarvis Education?
We work only with education settings. We know how attendance works, the pressures staff face, and what good practice looks like. Our independent view helps you get more children into school, safe and ready to learn, with every decision staying focused on children.
Want to know how an attendance review could help your school? Just get in touch.
Next Steps & How to Get Started
- Speak to one of our experts. We’ll explain how we work, answer your questions, and help you choose the right review for your school.
- We book dates well in advance. Once you’re happy, we confirm everything in writing and start planning your visit.
- Contact us today to discuss how we can support your school, academy, trust, and alternative provision.
- We’re ready to help and support you.
Who We Work With
We support settings of every type across England and internationally.
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