A parent’s reaction to an attendance conversation can shape what happens next. They may see it as a welcome offer of support — or as an institution passing judgement on them.
For school leaders, this makes every attendance conversation an opportunity: not just to address absence, but to build the relationship needed to make change possible
Attendance is a major concern for many school leaders. 66 per cent of secondary school leaders and 44 per cent of primary school leaders say they worry about absence rates, according to the Children's Commissioner School Census (2025).
"One of my key discoveries from the Children’s Commissioner’s School Census is how much schools often don’t know about their pupils."
Children’s Commissioner School Census
Many schools know absences are happening — but what they don't know is why.
The census found that schools are often in the dark about the personal circumstances of students that might lead to prolonged or repeated absence. 62 per cent of state-funded mainstream schools could not say how many pupils had experienced a personal bereavement, while 62 per cent did not know how many lived in unsuitable conditions, and 43 per cent could not report how many had a parent or carer who is currently in prison.
Many guides for talking to parents about attendance already exist, including the Government’s own Guide for schools on communicating with parents about attendance page. With nine guiding principles, the page is backed by research from Parentkind’s School Absence Parent Poll report and National Parent Survey.
As the page points out, conversations about attendance should be evidence-based and tailored to individual families and situations.
But how can schools do that if, as the Children’s Commissioner Census Report suggests, they lack information about those families and situations?
Evidence-based, tailored conversations about attendance start from data. The gap between identifying an attendance concern and having a meaningful conversation about it is often filled with missing information.
To fill that gap, school leaders must ask themselves:
How much absence and attendance data does your school collect?
How easy is it for parents to share that information?
Is your attendance tracking proactive or reactive?
How much absence and attendance data does your school collect?
All schools must collect daily attendance data, but the value of that data depends on how complete and accurate it is.
Are absence reasons captured consistently? Are supporting documents easy to collect? Can staff quickly access the information they need when following up with families?
The more complete the picture, the easier it is for schools to identify patterns, understand concerns and make informed decisions about next steps.
How easy is it for parents to share that information?
When we talk to schools about how they use the ReachMoreParents platform, we often hear how useful both staff and parents find the absence reporting feature.
“We used to be completely overrun with phone calls about absences. And then parents would not be able to reach us because the line was engaged, particularly in the colder months when many students will be off sick.”
Being able to report absence through the school’s parent communication app, and even upload supporting documents such as doctor’s notes, means that busy parents can cut a task that used to be time-consuming and stressful down to a minute or two of taps on their phone. For schools, that means absence reports are less likely to get lost or skipped, and supporting evidence is just a click away.
Is your attendance tracking proactive or reactive?
The sooner a school knows something is wrong, the sooner it can respond.
Meetings about attendance are often the last step in a series of repeated absences, particularly if those absences were unauthorised. But proactive attendance tracking can prevent the situation ever reaching that point.
One way schools can make attendance processes more proactive is by taking the first step towards resolution straight away. Ask yourself: does your communications platform automatically notify parents when an unauthorised absence is recorded or must staff manually notify them? Automatic notifications allow parents to respond right away, without needing to be chased by time-poor administrators.
Attendance is an ongoing source of stress for many school leaders. But the tools to tackle the conversations about it are essential.
Tracking attendance is easier when every parent is using your communications app. Take a look at our tips for getting 100 per cent uptake on your parent app.