Attendance Q&A with Anita Patel-Lingan, Education Statutory Compliance Manager

Friday 18th October 2024

Thank you to those of you who attended the Q&A with Anita Patel-Lingam on Thursday 17th October; there were well over 100 people on the call. The session was recorded, and can be accessed at https://youtu.be/O_p_dYl_XRA

Anita mentioned that she had recently held meetings with secondary colleagues via the BAPs, and had compiled an update following that session – please see the information below this message. Included are links to the attendance information on the Essex Schools Infolink, as promised during yesterday’s Q&A.

If you have any further or follow up questions, please contact the specialist attendance team for your quadrant, or Anita at Anita.Patel-Lingam@essex.gov.uk

We will be hosting another similar Q&A on Tuesday 3rd December, at 3.30 – 5.00 pm. The Zoom link for that session is

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89700794830?pwd=RpvCy4gHMhOoD87SqfUaSb7Hm5KHuX.1

I will send a reminder nearer the time and also a request for any questions in advance of the Q&A.

More information from Anita: As promised, please find below the update that I have been sharing with secondary colleagues via the Behaviour and Attendance Partnership meetings. There is a lot of information which primary colleagues will also find useful, especially the links to specific pages on ESI and the link to the information which I have recently arranged to have published on the Essex County Council website.

Attendance Compliance Team updates:

  • Anita Patel-Lingam (Statutory Education Compliance Manager) and Daisy Alexander (Senior Attendance Specialist – West Essex) have spent a lot of time over the summer, overhauling Essex Schools Infolink so that attendance-related information (from both an Attendance Specialist Team perspective and the Attendance Compliance Team’s perspective) is more readily accessible for our schools. Old links to attendance information on ESI will now be redundant. The new link into the attendance pages is:  Attendance | Essex Schools Infolink
  • Anita and Daisy have, towards the end of the summer term 2023/24 and over the summer break, updated/created lots of new templates which will support schools to transition smoothly over to the “support first” approach which underpins the statutory guidance which came into force on 19 August 2024. Letter templates, pupil check in templates, meeting proforma templates, a leave of absence request form template, response templates to requests for leave during term time, an attendance contract template and guidance on how to develop an attendance contract and the Essex Notice to Improve template are all available (as well as other documents/tools which schools may find useful). Colleagues will note that the tone and language used within the new templates is very different to those which they may have used previously. Legal action warning letters should no longer be used by schools and, where the national threshold for legal intervention has been met (i.e. 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a 10 rolling school week period), schools may use the Notice to Improve to outline what support remains available to the family and provide them with a final 6 week period in which they should access the support and avoid further unauthorised absences being recorded. Threats of legal action are not made within the support first templates and the letters all signpost parents to the school’s attendance policy – which should be published on each school’s website with clear details of the named Senior Attendance Champion and the named day-to-day contact for parents wishing to contact the school to discuss attendance concerns. The risk of legal intervention should be clear within your school’s attendance policy. Template documents may be accessed via this link: Essex support first toolkit: Overview | Essex Schools Infolink;
  • There is a model attendance policy template which is available for any schools who are yet to have updated their policy to comply with the statutory guidance: attendance-policy-ecc-epha-model-september-2024.docx (live.com);
  • The Attendance Compliance Team will be scrutinising all referrals received from schools to ensure that the support first approach is evident and that parents have been given opportunities to engage with support. Record-keeping throughout the support first phase is crucial and needs to include the work that is being done as part of a whole school approach to improving attendance. Where parents do not engage with offers of meetings in school, colleagues should consider alternative ways to engage parents e.g. virtual meetings, home visits. Making use of early help drop ins, arranging TAFs, using the Let’s Talk: We Miss You toolkit – these are all considerations which should be made as standard and where schools have not made use of these offers of early help/support – colleagues will need to provide a clear rationale as to why; 
  • The role of the Senior Attendance Champion is key – internal colleagues need to come together to discuss pupil’s causing concern in regards to attendance and decide on who, internally, will be taking the lead on contacting families, making reasonable adjustments, etc. e.g. Attendance Officer, DSL, SENCO, DT, etc. Referrals to the Attendance Compliance Team will specifically ask for evidence that all relevant key internal colleagues are aware AND in support of the referral being submitted. The link to the new online referral form for prosecutions/penalty notices for irregular school attendance may be accessed via this link: Penalty notices or prosecutions: Irregular school attendance | Essex Schools Infolink
  • Requests for unauthorised leave of absence (term time holiday) penalty notices – there is a new platform which schools are required to use when requesting penalty notices for term time holidays - where 10 consecutive G codes have been recorded. Each school’s Senior Attendance Champion must set up a login and can then grant access to colleagues so that requests may be submitted. Further information on how to secure a login, a guide to the new platform and a video for those who wish to familiarise themselves with the information may be accessed via this link: Penalty notices or prosecutions: Unauthorised leave of absence (term time holidays) 2024/25 | Essex Schools Infolink
  • Letter templates/request form templates specifically relating to term time holidays may be accessed via this link: Essex support first toolkit: Leave of absence (term time holidays) | Essex Schools Infolink
  • Work is underway to secure a parenting course offer which schools will be able to use as part of their “support first” approach where appropriate – further details will be shared by Anita in due course;
  • Anita is also working on developing a “pre-referral considerations” document which should support colleagues to think more creatively about how they engage families, taking into account their specific circumstances, the trauma that the family may have faced, etc. so that colleagues may move away from a blanket approach to addressing attendance concerns;
  • The Attendance Compliance Officers may be contacted for a ten minute consultation to discuss any cases where colleagues are considering a referral for legal intervention (Penalty Notice or prosecution). Details on how to book a consultation with your link ACO may be accessed here: Attendance Compliance Team | Essex Schools Infolink
  • The Essex County Council website has been updated over the summer to provide dedicated information FOR PARENTS around school attendance and absence - designed to support parents to better understand their responsibilities and the LA’s responsibilities and has direct contact details for various teams at ECC - SEND, Education Access, etc. Schools may wish to share this link with parents: https://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/school-attendance-and-absence
  • And lastly – For those colleagues who missed the webinar that Anita delivered on 1 July 2024, to cover the main changes brought about by the statutory guidance and the impact on legal intervention (or anyone who would like to refresh their memories on what was covered) – a recorded version, along with the slide deck used for the session may be accessed via this link: Legal Intervention – Useful documents and training for schools | Essex Schools Infolink – WARNING: The recorded version is approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes long and it covers a lot of information – make yourselves a cup of tea or coffee before you hit play!

Pam Langmead