Research on school approaches to reducing absence and exclusions
Privacy Notice Information Sheet
Funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), this study is led by NFER in partnership with The Difference.
Absenteeism and exclusion from school are known to have a negative impact on secondary students’ attainment as well on their likelihood of becoming involved in violence. We understand that schools are using different approaches to prevent/reduce persistent absence and exclusion, including internal alternative provision (IAP). However, there is limited knowledge on the approaches being used and whether they are effective in reducing absence and exclusions. This study aims to gain insights into what schools are doing in this area and then potentially identify the impact of different approaches. The study starts with a scoping stage comprising expert interviews, school case studies and a national survey of secondary schools. If this stage is successful in identifying distinct approaches, the research team plans to design an impact evaluation using data from the scoping stage.
Who can take part?
Participation is voluntary and open to all publicly-funded mainstream secondary schools in England.
All schools taking part in the survey will receive a tailored report placing their responses in the context of the overall national picture. Schools taking part in case-study visits will receive a contribution towards staff cover costs.
As a thank you from NFER for taking part, we will send you a £5 Amazon voucher or make a £5 donation to charity on your behalf. You will be asked to specify your preference at the end of the survey. Please complete the survey by 23 October.
How will NFER use and protect the data collected?
No school or individual will be named in any report arising from this work unless we have their explicit agreement. Where necessary, school-level information will be shared between NFER and The Difference using NFER’s secure portal. Only anonymised findings will be shared with EEF or YEF and made available publicly in the final report. The Privacy Notice for the project is available here.
Who to contact?
For further information about this research, please contact the project team at [email protected]