There is always an underlying reason when a student fails to attend regularly and our purpose is to support schools and academies to unlock those reasons.

We offer a simple and straightforward system which can be managed by the school or academy. It quickly identifies attendance concerns and directs effective action. The system is based on an Attendance Diamond and the Sol Attendance Tracker.

Involvement with Sol and Attendance Core Tracking is personalised to the needs of the school or academy. Consultants will discuss figures, targets and development needs before recommending appropriate packages of support.

The Sol Attendance Tracker ensures that any student with falling attendance is identified immediately and that appropriate and escalated action is completed on a weekly basis. Sol Tracker-led early interventions for ALL students guarantee that falling attendance never goes unnoticed. Understanding the causes for falling attendance early, prevents further decline, decreases the requirement for legal intervention or local authority involvement and reduces lost learning hours. Sol is able to offer advice, support and solution to all such issues.

The Sol Tracker identifies vulnerable cohorts and narrows attendance gaps. The system also challenges current thinking. Frequently, too much time and resource are allocated to students with very low attendance. Whilst robust action must be taken to support persistently absent (PA) students to improve social and academic outcomes and keep the PA figure within the Government benchmark, this approach will not raise overall attendance. The trickle down from 100% is the cause of below national attendance percentages. Our approach concerns ALL students.

The Sol Attendance Tracker ensures that any student with declining attendance is monitored on a weekly basis. When there is a decline in attendance, there must be an agreed and escalated action in response, that week. As soon as a student drops from 100% attendance, someone must act and investigate the absence. These actions will initially be conversations attempting to unblock any difficulties for the student before attendance issues become entrenched. Escalations increase until regular attendance is maintained or sufficient evidence is gathered for statutory action as a last resort.

We provide high quality support and training for staff at all levels.

Attendance is the concern of every member of staff, not just the Attendance Officer. We deliver training and professional development for staff including Governors, Trust boards, Senior Attendance Leads, Head Teachers and Senior Leaders as well as Attendance Officers, Pastoral Leaders, Form Tutors and Class Teachers. Our training and support develop knowledge and confidence which in turn build a strong attendance ethos. A strong attendance ethos is supported by clear lines of accountability led from the top down.

Our bespoke and holistic support packages include:

• The Start-Up package to prepare staff for the implementation and delivery of the Sol Attendance Tracker and systems.

• Monitoring and maintenance which build on the start-up package and may take the form of weekly or termly guidance.

• Audits and reporting.

• Role specific training for staff including Head Teachers, Senior Attendance Leads and Attendance Officers.

• Statutory requirements and attendance safeguarding procedures.

• Support to promote the effective use of MIS system attendance modules.

• Preparation and support for external inspections and Ofsted.

• Leading, demonstrating or supporting effective parental meetings and attendance panels.

• Legal work and legal work training.

• Any combination of the above
  For more detail of specific training programmes please contact us.

Our audits identify where improvements can be made and where further support may be required. They form the foundation for training and implementation of our attendance improvement systems as well as informing development plans.

Technical Compliance Audit

For many schools and academies, a technical audit is requested as the starting point for our support or often following a change in leadership. Technical audits underline the explicit link between attendance and safeguarding and ensure statutory guidance is correctly adhered to. Technical audits provide reassurance that an organisation’s attendance records and coding are precise and compliant with DfE regulations. Audits can be reviewed and updated to demonstrate progress towards targets and as evidence for external inspections.

General Audit

Our systems place attendance at the centre of school mprovement. The general audit organises attendance practice into ten fundamental school improvement areas. It highlights the importance of a whole school approach and the role that every staff member plays in attendance. The ten-point assessment is completed in consultation with leaders and highlights strengths in practice as well as identifying areas for development and informing recommendations.

Sol Attendance offers support for leaders preparing for external monitoring and Ofsted inspections by anticipating and discussing lines of enquiry and facilitating the organisation of evidence.

Reporting and Evidence Files

We provide a KPI document for schools and academies involved in inspections. This document identifies patterns and evidences improvements over time. The use of this document alongside the Sol Attendance Tracker directs further attention towards the most vulnerable cohorts prior to inspection. This level of analysis increases understanding of any groups of students disadvantaged by lower attendance and informs further action and preparation of evidence.

Attendance Safeguarding Folders

We deliver guidance on the preparation of an attendance evidence file which ensures key safeguarding attendance processes and procedures are documented and available for inspection. Key records include evidence of processes for leavers, students attending alternative provision, students on adjusted timetables and Elective Home Education.

The core provision that we deliver for educational settings is strategic. Support focuses on developing leaders to drive improvement independently and in enabling organisations to become autonomous. Sometimes, however, more operational support is requested. This might be in response to demands on capacity or when developing staff new to their roles. We can offer this level of support where required. More operational support might include practical assistance for Attendance Officers and School based EWOs. For example, running or modelling parental meetings and attendance panels, legal work, delivering assemblies and meetings with the local authority.

For more information about bespoke operational support for please contact us.