Tom Buckmaster, a specialized consultant, has made significant strides in improving attendance and punctuality levels at four primary schools in Nottinghamshire. He dives into specific strategies to face the growing crisis of chronic student absenteeism. This drop is an immediate impact of the deadly interruption brought by the Covid pandemic.
Buckmaster’s operational role means working with school administrators to create and execute a systematic attendance action plan. This new plan includes initiatives like frequent outreach calls to parents, home visits, and captivating assemblies. Finally, students themselves have become attendance officers, creating peer pressure that improves attendance by holding classmates accountable.
These initiatives have proven effective for increasing attendance by about 2% and thus increasing revenue in Buckmaster’s championship-winning hands. He also made a big impact on attendance at neighbouring Arnold View Primary School. In the process, it jumped from a dismal 93%—far below average—to above the national average of 96%. Buckmaster goes on to stress the need for sustainability for these new programs to be successful long-term.
“What you have to do is have something that is sustainable.” – Tom Buckmaster
The consultant is aware that attendance concerns have dramatically widened since the start of the pandemic. He adds that a lot of parents have gotten more risk-averse with regard to illness, frequently keeping kids home at the first sign of any ailment.
“It was a very difficult time. It made parents more wary of illness, so when children get sniffles, they want to keep them off,” Buckmaster explained.
To encourage turnout, Buckmaster includes perks like day trips and dinners out. First, he says, these incentives are key in helping to reward and reinforce good attendance behaviors for students.
“The children love it, and it’s good to get the community involved,” he stated.
Carl Jarvis, headteacher at one of these trend-setting schools, has already spoken highly about Buckmaster’s input. He acknowledged that introducing a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) type, like Buckmaster, has massively enhanced their schools. Its influence has been enormous.
“It’s absolutely been worthwhile bringing him in,” said Jarvis. “He’s a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) and we’re learning from him and his expertise.”
Jarvis emphasized how frequently, when they do engage with schools, SLEs are contacted to help deal with the problem of chronic absenteeism. They need support in foundational subjects such as English and math.
“We’ve found rewards work. I understand the argument that you shouldn’t have to offer incentives, but it’s part of a package of things we do,” Jarvis added.
In addition to implementing immediate strategies, Buckmaster plans to upskill staff at Arnold View Primary School so they can manage attendance plans independently moving forward. This three-pronged approach seeks to make sure the attendance gains are felt in the day-to-day for years to come.
“Attendance is really important. If a child’s attendance is good in primary school, we’ve found that ultimately leads to them getting better A-level results,” Buckmaster remarked.
