Improving attendance is everyone’s business. The barriers to accessing education are broad and complex, both within and beyond the school gates, and are often specific to individual pupils and families.
We recognise that some children find it harder than others to attend school and therefore at all stages of improving attendance, schools, and partners along with pupils and parents will work together to remove any barriers to attendance by building strong and trusting relationships and putting the right support in place.
Securing good attendance cannot be seen in isolation, and effective practices for improvement will involve a multi-agency approach encompassing children and families, schools, the local authority, and other local partners.
We will provide the right support, at the right time, in the right place.
Vision
In order to achieve our ambition of improving school attendance rates for all children in Sutton, it is understood that promoting positive school attendance is a shared responsibility.
For the majority of children our aim is that they will achieve at least 95% attendance. We acknowledge that for a small number of children this attendance figure will not be possible due to reasons of ill health, disability, or other social, emotional, mental health needs. In these cases, children’s attendance will be viewed within the context of each individual learner’s needs so that they can be supported to achieve their highest level of attendance.