As a new term begins, school corridors are buzzing with energy. New pupils, staff and families are getting to know each other, and others are reconnecting after the summer break. The ultimate lever to secure strong attendance is building trust and warm, strong relationships with families right from day one. Schools and parents share a common goal: happy, healthy children who feel they belong, and achieve their potential. Rooting your approach in this common ground can help build genuine partnerships with families.
Building trust
Findings from the A Crisis of Disengagement report highlight a massive shift in parental attitudes since the pandemic. Many families feel a real disconnect, they say that school communications are transactional and not supportive. The report notes that the attendance crisis is not simply about poor choices or behaviour, it’s a crisis of disengagement. When pupils lose their connection to routines, friends, and trusted adults, attendance declines.
A ‘Support First’ approach is essential to spot attendance barriers. Transactional approaches simply don't uncover deep-rooted causes like poverty, anxiety, home pressures, or SEND. Real progress happens when staff listen to understand a family's barriers and figure out the right support together before patterns become entrenched.
The data you have at your disposal might help you identify a family experiencing some of these barriers, but it’s the family and individuals behind the data you need to build trust and relationships with, so you can work together on solutions. It sounds easy, and I know it’s not simple, but during recent school visits, I’ve seen fantastic examples of relationship building in action:
Leading with warmth
Warm welcomes at the school gate and classroom doors set an inviting tone, and reassured parents and children. Practical touches like extended morning drop-off and staggered starts quelled anxiety, while Year 11s forming a guard-of-honour made Year 7s feel instantly welcome and safe. Some schools used walking buses or minibus pick-ups to collect anxious pupils and those whose families need support. Several schools ran uniform exchanges over summer and on INSET days, so everyone felt ready on day one.
Investing time
Schools gave new pupils extra tutor time during week one to build trust and settle into routines. Others hosted visits where parents explored classrooms, met teachers, and sampled school lunches. Several have scheduled residential visits during autumn term to help pupils connect with peers and staff outside the classroom early on.
Rethinking messaging
Many leaders used the DfE guide ‘communicating with parents about attendance’ to prepare families for a smooth return. The guide offers practical advice on how to frame attendance messages, templates for you to adapt, and other resources such as a communications calendar to help you plan across the school year and animations to use with parents. It emphasises the need to focus on missed days, lessons, and experiences not percentages.
Being curious and listening
Leaders I’ve met have questioned what the data was telling them and used it to start a conversation rather than jumping to conclusions. They used Year 6 attendance data from VYED to spot vulnerable families and then worked with them ahead of the transition. They spent time listening to understand each family's barriers then built collaborative plans with them.
I hope this blog has sparked a few ideas that might help your school continue to improve the way you build and maintain relationships with parents and pupils. You may also find these case study videos valuable - Attendance and Behaviour Hub schools discussing how they have successfully engaged parents and worked collaboratively with families on attendance.
If you are looking for more information, you can access further attendance guidance and toolkits. If you’d like to access sector-led, practical support, and learn directly from schools already achieving strong outcomes, consider joining the Attendance and Behaviour Hubs Programme.
Leave a comment