SENse Learning - Attendance Policy

Introduction

SENse Learning is focused on nurturing each student’s unique strengths, needs and aspirations. Our approach centres on providing the highest quality education and support where every student feels valued and empowered to engage and thrive 

Regular attendance and consistent engagement play a vital role in helping students to make progress, build confidence and achieve their full potential. We therefore work closely with students, families and professionals to foster positive routines and remove barriers so that every learner can attend and engage with confidence. 

Our responsibility for considering student attendance needs to balance the meaningful relationships we want to create for students, alongside their personal history and experience, which we understand may include trauma. Alongside this, we also have a responsibility to commissioners, and pride ourselves on ensuring that interventions are successful and regularly reviewed. 

Taking all these factors into consideration, we intend to monitor attendance in the following manner:

 

• Identify poor attendance trends during the referral process and raise this to the Case Coordinator so they can work closely with the student team and family to identify barriers to engagement, and advise the Specialist Teacher or Education Mentor on how best to support students in sessions. 

• Case Coordinators will monitor and share attendance concerns with Pathway Leads at regular check-in meetings to ensure we provide additional support to improve attendance. 

• Track attendance and engagement figures in real time through reporting systems. 

• Identify and monitor attendance and engagement concerns where there are regular and persistent absences without good cause. 

• Notify the commissioners regarding attendance concerns and how we are supporting these. 

• Support associates/students/parents/carers and their wider network in identifying the underlying cause and work together to develop supportive improvement strategies. 

Attendance vs Engagement 

At SENse Learning, many of our students struggle with engagement or need time to build up to their full hours. This can be for multiple reasons linked to the student's individual needs, and recognise that at times our approach needs to be gradual. 

SENse Learning will work closely with the associate team and the parent/carer on strategies to increase the engagement time. We believe it is important to measure both attendance and engagement. For example, a student may be commissioned for 3 hours but is currently only managing 1.5 hours consistently for every session; this would be considered full attendance but would represent a reduced percentage for the engagement. 

We share attendance data with the commissioner and monitor attendance and engagement regularly to consider if the commissioned hours remain appropriate. 

Practical management of attendance 

Prior to sessions 

• SENse Learning will ensure that the parent/carer is aware of session times and who will be present for the session. 

• The Case Coordinator will meet with the parent/carer prior to the sessions starting to see if they have any knowledge of strategies that will support engagement and attendance. 

• The Case Coordinator will meet with the associate to discuss any known attendance challenges and strategies for engagement. 

Reporting Procedures

1. Parental Responsibility: If a student is unable to attend a scheduled session, parents/carers should notify the SENse Learning team on Google Chat at least 2 hours before the session.

2. Associate Responsibility: Associates must log the start and end times of the session using the portal. 

3. Safeguarding Trigger: If a student is not present and the parent cannot be reached, the associate/Case Coordinator must follow the missing protocol in the safeguarding policy, which may include contacting the commissioning school’s DSL or local authority.

Sessions in the home 

• The associate will attend for the start of the session, if the student is not ready to engage, they will provide space or, if appropriate, use the strategies they have agreed with their Case Coordinator to engage the student. 

• If there is still no attendance at this point, the associate will discuss with the parent/carer whether they should continue. They will also contact the Case Coordinator and seek advice. 

• If it is decided there will be no attendance for this session, the associate will leave and log on the portal the session end time and record that the student did not attend. 

Sessions in the community or at a venue 

• If a student does not attend with the associate they will wait at the venue for 30 minutes. Following this they will contact the student or parent/carer (depending on the student's age). 

• They will wait a further 10-20 minutes and contact again. 

• If following this, there is no response, the associate will alert the Case Coordinator, who will advise further.  

Barriers to Attendance  

• The Case Coordinator will maintain regular contact with parents/carers to discuss how sessions are progressing, including engagement and attendance.

• If a student’s attendance falls below 70%, the commissioner will be informed, along with the strategies being implemented by the team and wider professional network to support improved engagement and attendance.

• The Case Coordinator will work with the tutor team to identify supportive strategies and, where needed, seek additional guidance from the pastoral team. 

• Where attendance concerns continue despite supportive interventions, the Case Coordinator and Pathway Lead will consider whether a placement review meeting is required with the commissioner and parent/carer to discuss whether adjustments to the provision may be needed.