LAAT has made significant progress in improving attendance across its schools through a sustained, evidence-led strategy focused on family engagement, targeted intervention and early support.
At a time when attendance continues to be a national priority, LAAT’s latest data shows a Persistent Absence rate of 12.8%, representing an improvement of 3.3 percentage points since February and placing the Trust 0.8 percentage points in line with the current national figure. Overall attendance across Years 1-6 now stands at 94.8%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points since February and broadly in line with the national average of 94.9%.
In early 2024, LAAT undertook one of the largest parental engagement exercises in its history, inviting more than 4,000 parents to share their views on education, attendance and the relationship between home and school. The responses provided valuable insight into parental attitudes and reinforced the need for a renewed partnership model focused on shared responsibility for attendance and educational success.
In response, LAAT has continued to invest in practical and targeted support. This includes the appointment of four dedicated Education Welfare Officers who work closely with schools, pupils and families to identify barriers to attendance and provide timely interventions.
Recognising that every child’s circumstances are unique, LAAT’s approach goes far beyond monitoring attendance figures. Schools across the trust provide a wide range of support measures, including:
- Tailored curriculum pathways to meet individual needs
- Mental health and wellbeing support
- Pastoral care and mentoring
- Family support services
- Reintegration plans for pupils returning to school
- Early Help Assessments and multi-agency support
While encouraged by the progress made, LAAT recognises that improving attendance requires sustained effort and long-term commitment. The Trust has set an ambitious aspiration to achieve 97% overall attendance across its schools and remains focused on further reducing persistent absence rates through early intervention, strong family partnerships, and targeted support.
Although significant progress has been made, LAAT believes that every percentage point improvement represents more children accessing the full benefits of education. By continuing to invest in evidence-led approaches, dedicated attendance support and collaborative working with families, the Trust is committed to ensuring that every pupil attends regularly, engages fully in learning and has the best possible opportunity to succeed.
The progress achieved to date demonstrates what can be accomplished when schools, families and communities work together and directly support LAAT’s 25/26 commitment to making LAAT schools irresistible places of learning – nurturing environments where children flourish, families feel supported, and communities thrive.
To learn more about LAAT’s approach to attendance and the importance of strong partnerships between schools and families, read our article: Bridging the gap: how schools and families can work together to tackle absenteeism.
