Rewriting the Attendance Script: What Learners Are Really Telling Us

Attendance isn’t just a statistic. It’s a message - and too often, it’s a cry for help. With persistent absence at a 10-year high, we need to stop asking “Why won’t they come to school?” and start asking, “What happened to their trust in learning?”

Here’s what we see:

● Anxious avoiders with unmet needs or late diagnoses

● Neurodivergent learners exhausted by masking

● Young carers stretched thin and unsupported

● Previously excluded learners wary of re-entering a system that hurt them

● Pupil Premium pupils facing real-world barriers like transport, housing, or cultural dissonance

At Route Education, we rebuild trust before we track attendance.

Our Literacy Quest isn’t about worksheets in a tent - it’s about confidence, connection, and story. Our Foundations programme gives young people a safe space to rediscover their voice through reading, writing and peer connection.

We respond with:

● Trauma-aware literacy tasks

● Story-led reading and writing

● Flexible access points: outdoor, online, and in-person

● Structured praise, identity work, and team belonging

We’re proud to align with the DfE’s renewed interest in attendance as belonging. Our goal isn’t just to increase daily registration - it’s to make students want to show up.