A recent Department for Education Research Report, The Link Between Attendance and Attainment in an Assessment Year, sheds light on how closely school attendance is tied to academic success. The study highlights that even small increases in attendance can significantly boost a student’s chances of meeting expected standards. Yet, while the report presents compelling evidence of this correlation, it stops short of offering solutions.
This omission leaves an important question unanswered: How can schools and local education authorities (LEAs) improve attendance in an effective and sustainable way?
The report’s findings are stark. Missing just 10 days of school can lead to a 25% decrease in the likelihood of reaching Key Stage 2 standards and a 50% decrease at Key Stage 4. These figures underscore the importance of every school day - each additional day attended can improve a student’s future academic performance.
For educators and policymakers, this presents an opportunity. While systemic challenges such as socioeconomic factors and student well-being must be considered, small, evidence-based interventions could lead to meaningful improvements in attendance - and, in turn, attainment.
The report makes it clear that attendance is influenced by a range of factors, including family circumstances, health, engagement with school, and community support. This means that a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to work. Instead, interventions must be contextually grounded, shaped by the specific needs of students and schools.
The best way to develop effective strategies? Test them. Schools and LEAs should take an evidence-based approach, using small-scale experiments - such as micro-randomised controlled trials (micro-RCTs) - to determine what works before scaling up.
To bridge the gap between evidence and action, here are a few research-backed strategies schools could trial using micro-randomised controlled trials:
- Personalised Attendance Goal-Setting
- Classroom Incentives and Recognition
- Teacher Follow-Up for Absent Students
- Attendance Awareness Campaigns
- Parental Communication ‘Nudges’
These strategies, while promising, must be rigorously tested to determine their effectiveness in specific school contexts. Conducting small, controlled trials ensures that interventions are not just well-intentioned but also impactful. Schools should analyse results, refine approaches, and scale up successful initiatives.
By committing to an evidence-driven approach, schools and LEAs can move beyond broad recommendations and implement targeted strategies that make a measurable difference. The Link Between Attendance and Attainment in an Assessment Year proves that attendance matters - now, it’s time to take action based on what works.
- Identify key attendance challenges specific to your school or area.
- Pilot a small-scale intervention using an experimental design.
- Track outcomes rigorously and adjust strategies accordingly.
- Share findings to contribute to the growing body of evidence on effective attendance interventions.
At WhatWorked Education, we specialise in helping schools and LEAs set up and run these experiments seamlessly through our web-based platform. Each local authority receives a private space where teachers can log in using a unique access code. Within the platform, teachers can select interventions that resonate most with their needs, enter key measures, and allow the system to automate data collection and analysis.
For LEAs, our platform aggregates data from multiple schools and automates meta-analysis, providing a clear, evidence-based overview of what strategies are working best in their specific context. By streamlining data-driven decision-making, we help educators turn insights into impactful action.
To explore how WhatWorked Education can support your efforts to improve attendance and attainment, get in touch with us today.By investing in small, research-backed attendance improvements, we can unlock significant academic gains for students - one school day at a time.
