The Educator Magazine U.K. September - December 2025 issue. - Magazine - Page 26
Tackling the absenteeism crisis:
How technology is helping schools improve attendance
By Louise Pink, former headteacher and Account Manager at ParentPay Group
Pupil attendance remains a pressing issue
facing schools across the UK, as the full
impact of the pandemic continues to ripple
through today’s education system. As of
Spring 2024, approximately 20% of pupils in
England were persistently absent - a 67.8%
increase compared to pre-pandemic levels –
while severe absence (missing at least half of
school sessions) rose a staggering 160.7%[1].
The reasons are complex. Rising levels of
poor mental health and anxiety among
students, shifting parental attitudes
influenced by new remote working norms,
and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis all play
a role. There has also been a post-pandemic
surge in illness-related absences, with
children more vulnerable to common bugs
due to reduced immunity during
lockdowns[2].
This stark rise in absenteeism continues to
have serious consequences. Research from
Thinktank has highlighted unauthorised
absence as a ‘leading cause’ of the
performance gap between disadvantaged
pupils and their peers, with the North East
seeing higher absence rates than any other
English region[3]. Vulnerable groups are
also being significantly impacted.
Students with special educational needs
and disabilities (SEND), and those with
emotional, behavioural, or school-related
anxiety - conditions that have intensified
since the pandemic - face a heightened risk
of chronic absenteeism.
These challenges call for more than
isolated interventions. Schools need a
broader, more integrated system of support,
along with the time to embed them, and
many are turning to software as a powerful
part of that solution.
Real-time data: a whole new perspective
Many schools are responding with smarter
systems for tracking and responding to
absence. Management Information Systems
(MIS) can be great for producing data, but
it’s crucial to make sure that this is the kind
of data you actually want and need. When
it comes to attendance, that increasingly
means real-time information, which can
revolutionise tracking and allow staff to
follow up on incidents of unauthorised
absence. And as all school leaders are
distinctly aware - the data that can be
extracted from any system is only as good as
that which is inputted in the first instance.
Whilst attendance tracking is far from new,
the way schools are approaching it has
evolved dramatically. Traditional registers
and delayed reporting often limited the
ability to act quickly. Today, modern MIS
platforms offer real-time data to identify
patterns, respond to issues faster, and better
understand the root causes of absence
Having classroom-level access to this
attendance data means that staff can
instantly see if a pupil is absent from school
for a whole day or even a single lesson.
This immediate visibility allows attendance
officers to act without delay, whether that’s
contacting home, providing interventions,
or checking for safeguarding concerns.
When done right, EdTech solutions can boost
confidence and act as an added safety to
support teachers in doing what they’re there
for: ensuring that young people can learn to
the best of their ability. Rather than adding
admin-heavy processes, it should be about
freeing up staff to focus on meaningful
interactions with students and families.
Smarter communication with parents
Attendance issues, however, cannot be
solved by data alone. In conversations with
school, Trust and wider education leaders
for our recent report, ‘Generation catch-up:
The research revisited’, effective parental
engagement consistently emerged as
playing a key role in raising attendance levels.
A connected ecosystem to support
attendance
The goal is not just to monitor absence,
but to create an ecosystem that actively
supports attendance. This involves linking
data, communication, and early intervention
seamlessly – bringing together staff, students
and families to tackle absenteeism in a united
effort.
At St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A
Voluntary Academy in Sheffield, for example,
embedding attendance expectations into
parent inductions and using visual tools to
show the impact of absence on learning has
helped maintain strong attendance.
Similarly, ONE Academy Trust in Derbyshire
has tackled post-pandemic shifts in parental
attitudes by prioritising education and
consistent messaging - linking absence
directly to lost learning in newsletters and
parent communications.
How schools talk to parents about
attendance is also crucial. Traditionally,
attendance has been reported as
percentages, but this can be confusing
and often misleading. For example, a 90%
attendance rate can sound positive, but it
actually represents nearly three weeks (15
days) of school missed over the academic
year.
Today’s communication platforms allow for
smarter engagement, like timely, automated,
and personalised messages to parents or
carers based on attendance trends.
For example, if a pupil regularly misses school
on Mondays, a supportive Sunday evening
message can remind parents of the exciting
learning experiences that are happening
in school the next day, offering assistance,
or simply highlighting that missing one day
a week adds up to 39 days of lost learning a
year.
Supporting staff without increasing
workload
As schools adopt new technologies, it's vital
that these tools empower staff to tackle
attendance, rather than adding to staff
workload or mental burden. That means
that new systems introduced need to be
user-friendly, properly supported and
accompanied by the right introduction
and training.
Ensuring strong staff comfort levels with
technology is essential to successful
implementation. Familiar interfaces, ongoing
support, and open communication are key
In secondary education settings, this often
means setting firm expectations with
students themselves. At Mossbourne
Federation in London and Essex, if a pupil
misses their induction day, they’ll be required
to attend another one. Lateness is
followed up that very same day, escalated
tolunchtime or Saturday sessions if needed.
By identifying students who can attend but
don’t, staff can focus more effectively on
those who need tailored support.
For pupils with more complex challenges
that contribute to absence - such as
caregiving responsibilities - Mossbourne
works closely with families and agencies like
CAMHS to build personalised attendance
plans
Similarly, at ONE Academy Trust,
understanding the story behind the data
is key. For instance, a pupil missing school
due to a family holiday requires a different
response than one chronically disengaged
from learning. Tailored interventions are
essential.
Paving the way forward
Whilst there’s no single solution to the
persistent gaps in attendance schools are
facing – the schools combining real-time
data, strong parent communication and
robust internal processes are already seeing
promising results.
Technology is not a silver bullet – but used
strategically, it can help schools act earlier,
engage with families more effectively and
support staff and students. By building a
connected, proactive approach to
attendance, schools can help ensure every
pupil has the opportunity to succeed.
[1] https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/
newsroom/schools-absence-endemic
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/
education/2023/jun/28/covid-poverty-pupilabsence-england-schools-socialeconomic-pandemic-families
[3] Unauthorised school absence widening
‘disadvantage gap’ in England | School
attendance and absence | The Guardian