Designed by School-Home Support (SHS), this online course gives your team the tools and confidence to tackle attendance challenges head-on. With four expert-led modules, it offers a comprehensive foundation in the best-practice approaches to improving attendance and wellbeing in your school.

The Attendance Foundations Course offers a comprehensive and practical introduction to improving school attendance in line with the statutory guidance outlined in Working Together to Improve School Attendance. Tailored specifically for School Attendance Officers and education professionals, the course breaks down what the guidance requires from schools and what that looks like in day-to-day practice.

You’ll gain a clear understanding of how to build a whole-school culture that promotes good attendance, and learn how to identify and support pupils facing barriers—especially those with SEND or economic challenges.

Through the Attendance Foundations Course, you’ll learn best practice for engaging parents, applying a support-first approach, and recognising the key drivers of persistent and severe absence. You’ll also understand what Ofsted inspectors are looking for, and how to demonstrate that your school is taking a robust, inclusive approach to attendance.

Fully CPD-certified, this training course provides you with the tools, strategies, and confidence to make a positive, measurable impact on attendance across your school community—because attendance is everyone’s responsibility.

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Module 1: Introduction to Economic Wellbeing for Families

Module 2: Attendance: How to implement a support-first approach

Module 3: Parental Engagement

Module 4: Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Attendance

Each module includes:

• A video presentation delivered by a member of the School-Home Support team

• A written script with information about the themes discussed in the video

• The presentation slides

• A resource pack with links to additional reading materials

• A short quiz to check your knowledge

You can complete the course at your own pace, making it easy to fit around your schedule.

This format is designed to be flexible, engaging, and practical — helping you build your confidence and skills step by step.

• Understand the root causes of severe and persistent absence

• Discover tools and strategies to improve attendance

• Support families facing financial hardship and children with SEND

• Learn how to engage parents and strengthen home-school partnerships

• Build a culture of good attendance through early help and whole-family support

• Stay compliant with DfE statutory attendance guidance

• Developed by attendance and family support experts

• Informed by over 40 years of SHS frontline experience

• Flexible, self-paced online format

• Ideal for school leaders, pastoral teams, and attendance officers

• Get a CPD certificate for your career development