Local Authority
Attendance Hub
A practical starting point for local authorities, education authorities and public services working with schools, families and communities to improve attendance across the UK.
What strong local attendance systems do
Local public bodies are uniquely placed to see the bigger picture: patterns across schools, barriers affecting communities and where education needs help from health, social care, housing, transport, youth services or other partners.
Lead strategically
Set a clear area-wide attendance ambition, connect services and keep attendance visible at senior leadership level.
Use data intelligently
Identify schools, cohorts, neighbourhoods and patterns where absence is increasing — then ask what sits behind the numbers.
Support early
Help schools and families access the right support before absence becomes entrenched, persistent or severe.
Remove local barriers
Look beyond the school gate: transport, poverty, health, housing, SEND/ASN/ALN, safety and family circumstances can all matter.
Join agencies up
Create practical routes between education, social care, health, police, early help, youth services and voluntary organisations.
Challenge drift
Make sure cases have clear ownership, action and review. Use statutory or legal routes only within the relevant national framework.
Use the right guidance for your system
The shared goal is regular participation in education, but the structures are not interchangeable.
England
DfE statutory guidance places local authorities in a strategic leadership role across their geographical area, including identifying patterns, coordinating support, working with schools and partners and supporting pupils with complex barriers.
Scotland
Scotland's 2026 Included, Engaged and Involved guidance supports schools and education authorities with a national approach to promoting attendance, identifying vulnerability, managing absence and responding to persistent or complex absence.
Wales
Welsh Government guidance is framed around improving learner engagement and attendance and is intended for schools, PRUs, EOTAS settings, parents, carers and local authorities. The wider attendance hub brings together guidance, codes, EWS materials and children-missing-education resources.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland operates through the Education Authority rather than a local-authority attendance model. Education Welfare Officers work with schools, parents, EA services and other professionals to reduce absence and address barriers.
Local Area Attendance System Check
Ten questions for senior leaders and attendance services. This is a reflection tool, not a statutory audit.
Create three local attendance priorities
Keep it short. Agree the issue, the action, who owns it and when you will know whether it has made a difference.
Priority planner
Local Attendance Action Note
Useful attendance links
Use these sources for current policy and statutory requirements. Always check the guidance for your nation before taking formal action.