Research into the school attendance crisis expands

ImpactEd Group is launching the next phase of Understanding Attendance, a large-scale national research project identifying barriers to attendance and effective intervention strategies.

The initial phase of Understanding Attendance, launched last year, highlighted key factors influencing attendance, including the importance of belonging and the transition from Year 7 to Year 8. Focusing on transitions or belonging is vital, but ImpactEd Group wants to go further to help school leaders take impactful action at a more granular level by developing actionable, data-driven strategies to make a meaningful, and urgent, impact.

The next stage of the project is shaped by three critical insights:
Context is key – Attendance patterns vary significantly by age, stage, the time of year and the extent of days missed. Schools need to be able to compare like with like, ensuring data is analysed in context rather than relying on broad headline figures.
 
A whole-child approach – Attendance isn’t just a school issue. Home life, parental attitudes, teacher and peer relationships and school environment all play a role. ImpactEd Group’s updated research approach explores these influences in depth to help schools take more targeted action.
 
Small Wins, Big Impact – Attendance doesn’t improve overnight, but celebrating incremental progress can drive long-term change. ImpactEd Group will be helping participating schools identify and share strategies that make a real difference so others can learn from their experience throughout the academic year.
 
For schools looking to address persistent absence, it is critical they have the right data available for analysis. The first Understanding Attendance project is currently a finalist for the upcoming MAT Excellence Awards for Product of the Year 2025. ImpactEd Group’s latest attendance research project will help schools target their attendance support more effectively — ensuring interventions meet the specific needs of their pupils.

Owen Carter, Co-Founder and Director of ImpactEd Group said: “Absence is sticky — once a pattern of non-attendance is established, it can be difficult to break. By using insightful data to understand the root causes and patterns of persistent absence, schools can break negative trends, giving every child the best possible chance to succeed. This next stage of Understanding Attendance aims to do exactly that.”

Schools interested in participating in the Understanding Attendance project can contact hello@impactedgroup.uk for more information.