Solving the post-pandemic school attendance crisis

Summary

Research was conducted among 498 schools between 26^th and 30^th April 2024 by Bromcom in partnership with Schoolzone, an education market research agency, to discover the current trends in rising school absences.

Bromcom also interviewed a range of schools and trusts including attendance officers in primary and secondary schools, to form this whitepaper.

During the interviews, schools spoke honestly about the significant and evolving challenges they are facing, and the ways in which they believe they need to be supported over the coming months and years to help tackle attendance.  

Key takeaways

• Survey results highlighted that 70% of schools have seen absences increase over the past two years, post pandemic.  
• 68% of schools surveyed saw an increase in absence due to holidays taken in term time.  
• A staggering 84% of schools have seen an increase in absence due to mental health issues such as anxiety.
• 59% agree that more access to mental health support for students would have a positive impact on attendance. 
• 74% of schools agree or significantly agree that their MIS provides the reporting tools and data to help track and manage student attendance.

In this whitepaper, we will discuss the issues that have impacted school attendance in recent years, how they have evolved, and the current and potential impact on teaching and learning. We’ll also explore how technology, particularly MIS, can further support this critical issue in our schools.  

Expect to find

A deep dive into the research commissioned by Bromcom on school attendance post pandemic, including:

• Pupil mental health
• The shifting relationship between parents and carers and schools
• School and local organisation collaboration
• Primary and secondary school use cases and insight into the factors impacting school attendance
• The benefits provided by management information systems to further support school attendance

Please download the PDF to read the report in full.