NAP
National Attendance PortalBonus Professional Learning Resource
30:00
30-minute bonus training resource

Heads of Year: Know It. Own It. Improve It.

A robust attendance leadership session for Heads of Year. It is designed for schools where secondary attendance needs to improve and focuses on daily grip, banding, movement, tutor accountability, case leadership and early intervention.

30 minutesHeads of YearSecondary focusDaily leadership grip
The HoY standard:
You should not discover your year group's attendance position at a weekly meeting. Have a daily grasp of who is attending, deteriorating, improving, what tutors are doing, and which cases need escalation.
Stage 0

The message is clear

0–3 min
If secondary attendance is not good enough, that is not a statistic to observe. It is a problem to lead.
Knowyour year group's attendance position every day.
Actbefore absence becomes entrenched.
Leadthe adults around the pupil: tutors, teachers, pastoral staff and the Attendance Team.
Supportive, not punitive. Heads of Year cannot remove every barrier. But no pupil should drift unnoticed and no adult should be unclear about their part in the response.
Stage 1

National context

3–7 min
23.77%secondary persistent absence in the DfE Week 28 2026 year-to-date dataset.
10%+of possible sessions missed is the threshold used for persistent absence.
HoY question: if persistent absence is the end result, what are you doing with pupils who are moving toward it?

National evidence

DfE Persistent Absence DatasetNational, regional and local authority data by phase. Working Together to Improve School AttendanceStatutory attendance guidance.
Stage 2

Your daily attendance grip

7–12 min

A Head of Year should be able to answer these questions without waiting for a weekly meeting.

What was my year group's attendance yesterday?
Know the direction of travel.
Who is absent today?
Which absences are expected, unexplained or unusual?
Who has moved down a band?
Identify deterioration early.
Who is improving?
Recognise positive movement.
Who is approaching PA?
Do not wait for 90%.
Who is persistently or severely absent?
Know the plan and review point.
What is the pattern?
Day, session, subject, tutor, peer group, transition?
What are tutors doing?
Who has spoken, welcomed back, escalated and followed up?
Which cases are stuck?
Repeated actions with no change need review.
What needs escalation today?
SEND, safeguarding, curriculum, behaviour, family support or SLT?
A dashboard is not a strategy. Daily intelligence matters only if it changes what adults do for pupils that day.

Portal tools for daily oversight

Primary & Secondary School HubMain practical school attendance hub. Vulnerable Pupil Attendance CheckerKeep priority groups visible in daily and weekly review.
Stage 3

Banding: know every pupil's direction of travel

12–18 min
97%+Strong
Protect and recognise.
95–96.9%Watch
Look at trajectory.
90–94.9%Early action
Intervention territory.
<90%Persistent absence territory
Clear plan and review.
<50%Severe absence territory
High-intensity response.
Do not build a red-list culture. Know pupils who are improving too. Positive movement may represent major work by a pupil, family and staff team.
Attendance band practice

Move the slider. Ask: what should the HoY know or do at this point?

94% attendance

Movement beats snapshot. A pupil at 94% falling rapidly may need more immediate attention than a pupil at 88% who is improving.

Portal tools for early identification

PA Prevention ToolkitAct before the threshold is crossed. Attendance Barrier IdentifierMove from code to barrier.
Stage 4

Hold tutors to account — and equip them to succeed

18–23 min
Tutors are your daily attendance network. Accountability is not “Have you chased them?” It is: What do you know? What have you done? What changed? What needs escalating?
RegistersAccurate and on time.
Know the pupilsEmerging concerns, not just existing PA.
Welcome & conversationReturners welcomed, concerns explored calmly.
EscalatePatterns raised early.
Follow throughAgreed actions happen.
Recognise improvementPositive movement is noticed.
HoY leadership: set clear tutor expectations, check them, model the conversation, provide feedback and challenge inconsistency.

Tools to strengthen tutor practice

Challenging Attendance Conversation CoachPractical language for attendance conversations. My Comeback PlanSupport positive re-entry after absence. CPD & Training ResourcesFurther tutor and staff development materials. Student HubBelonging and young-person support.
Stage 5

Lead the case — don't let the case drift

23–27 min
Head of Year
  • Know the pupil, pattern, barrier and trajectory.
  • Coordinate tutor and pastoral actions.
  • Ensure a named owner and next step exist.
  • Escalate barriers outside your authority.
  • Challenge repeated activity with no impact.
  • Maintain the relationship and belonging lens.
Attendance Team
  • Provide attendance intelligence and emerging-risk information.
  • Undertake specialist attendance casework.
  • Coordinate family contact and interventions within role.
  • Track actions, review points and attendance movement.
  • Flag drift and escalation needs.
  • Support HoYs with evidence and process.
Stop this phrase: “Attendance Team to monitor.” Replace it with named owner + action + date + expected change + review point.

Case leadership tools

Attendance Case Conference OrganiserStructure discussion around barriers, ownership, action and review. Attendance Case Drift TrackerSpot activity without improvement. 6-Week Attendance Support PlanGive support a clear timescale and review point. School Day Friction MapperExplore school-experience barriers.
Stage 6

Your first 10 school days

27–29 min

Do not enter pupil names or pupil-identifiable information on this page.

Stage 7

Your support continues after the session

29–30 min
Ongoing professional support

National Attendance Portal

Use the Portal for practical tools, attendance insight, pupil and family support, casework structure, CPD, SEND and leadership resources.

National Attendance PortalYour ongoing attendance support base. Primary & Secondary School HubMain practical school resource library. CPD & TrainingContinue building attendance leadership practice. SEND, Inclusion & Attendance HubSupport where attendance barriers connect with SEND and inclusion.
Final standard: know your year. Know the movement. Know who is doing well. Know who is drifting. Know what tutors are doing. Know when to escalate.