Following an excellent DFE review into the 5 Foundations of Effective Practice framework, Washwood Heath MAT are in a position to offer four attendance training sessions.  Each session has been designed to provide educational settings with a framework and strategy to improve attendance.  For too long educational settings have worked tirelessly attempting to improve attendance, without the use of an evidence-informed attendance framework.  The 5 Foundations framework will support educational settings to achieve their attendance vision by implementing the 5 Foundations strategy.  
The Foundations framework is completely child-centred and ensures there is a whole school approach to improving attendance built on connectedness and belonging.  All staff have a role to play in improving attendance, the simplicity of the Foundations model allows to staff to clearly understand their role.
There is a complete cross-reference to the DFE working together to improve attendance paper (2022), this paper will be a statutory paper in September of 2023.  Educational settings must be able to demonstrate how their attendance strategy and framework meets the summary of expectations within this paper.    

DFE Working together to improve school attendance and the 5 Foundations of Effective Practice Framework

What will educational settings gain from participating in the 5 Foundations programme?

• Prepare for forthcoming changes to guidance and legislation surrounding school attendance and understand the most up-to-date research findings.

• Raise your school’s rates of attendance by introducing and embedding your very own evidence-informed 5 Foundations of Effective Attendance Practice framework.

• Permission rights from WHMAT to use the Foundations logos and Key Performance Indicators.

• Access to the 5 Foundations online self-assessment.

• Editable 5 Foundations attendance policy.

• Editable 5 Foundations action planning documents.

• Free membership to the new Foundations National Attendance network.  Share best practice on what works to improve attendance and continue to develop a comprehensive toolkit of proven strategies.

• Opportunities to book further consultancy support. 

 

5 Foundations Attendance Programmes

 

Session 1: Understand the 5 Foundations of Effective Attendance Practice Framework and create your Attendance strategy.

Part 1: The challenges school face – exploring research and guidance on school attendance. During this session we will consider the implications of research findings from the Education Endowment Foundation, Ofsted and the Department of Education guidance on improving attendance in schools.

Part 2: Using an evidence-informed framework to improve attendance.  
This session we will gather a deeper understanding of the 5 Foundations of Effective Attendance Practice framework, underpinning Key Performance Indicators and how they are used in practice.

Part 3: The 5 Foundations Attendance Improvement Process.
During this session we will understand how the 5 Foundations framework is implemented using the Foundations improvement process and self-assessment tool.  We will focus on how the Foundations framework cross references with the DFE Attendance paper. 

Part 4: Sharing practice and the National Attendance Network package.
The final session will allow us to share our findings and understand the benefits of being part of the National Attendance Network.

This session can be delivered through:

- Online training: 3 hour training delivering the programme.  This is suitable for individual schools or multiple schools.

- Face to Face training: this session can be delivered over half a day, or a full day.  This is suitable for individual schools or multiple schools.

- Conference delivery: conference sessions will be delivered over the academic year, please contact wharris@firs.academy for further information.

Session 2: Developing the attendance strategy and attendance action plan.

Part 1: External analysis of the 5 Foundations self-assessment questionnaire.
 

Part 2: Creating the 5 Foundations Attendance Action Planning document - external consultancy support.
 

Part 3: Aligning the 5 Foundations Attendance Action Plan document and the 5 Foundations Attendance Improvement Cycle.

This session will involve an analysis of the self-assessment outcomes, followed by a bespoke action plan being created for the school. 

Session 3: Train the Trainer - Attendance Deep Dive review.

Part 1: Why Deep Dive attendance?  Understand the purpose of Deep Diving attendance within a school.

Part 2: How do we Deep Dive attendance?  Explore how to use the Foundations framework to Deep Dive attendance.  This session will focus on sharing the Deep Dive resources and how to gather an understanding of practice within the school setting.

Part 3: What do we expect gain from completing a Deep Dive into attendance?  Understand how to use the outcomes of a Deep Dive to create a bespoke action plan to improve and support attendance.

This session can be delivered through:

- Online training: 3 hour training delivering the programme.  This is suitable for individual schools or multiple schools.

- Face to Face training: this session can be delivered over half a day.  This is suitable for individual schools or multiple schools.

- Conference delivery: conference sessions will be delivered over the academic year, please contact wharris@firs.academy for further information.

Session 4: External end of year progress review and next steps planning.

Part 1: External consultancy review of attendance over the academic year.

Part 2: End of year self-assessment review.

Part 3: Developing the new 5 Foundations Action Plan for the next academic year.  

This session will involve an analysis of the self-assessment outcomes, followed by a bespoke action plan being created for the school. 

Session 5: External Deep Dive.

Part 1: A full day review of attendance practice.   

Part 2: Sharing the 5 Foundations Deep Dive resources.

Part 3: Final review of the outcomes of the Deep Dive process and next steps planning.

This session will be delivered by the external consultant.

 

Sessions are flexible and can be tailored to meet the needs of the educational setting. The programme is most effective when sessions are delivered in person, however, sessions can be delivered online.  Multiple schools or MATs can attend sessions together.

5 Foundations Attendance Spring and Summer Term courses and conference sessions.

Alternative 1:1 or group delivery sessions are avaliable.

Contact wharris@firs.academy for further information.