Train the right people for the right role.
Attendance improvement is not one person's job. Choose a learning pathway built around responsibility, confidence and the work staff actually need to do.
Six clear learning pathways.
Each route begins with the highest-value learning for that role, then points to deeper Portal resources and implementation tools.
Senior Leaders & Attendance Champions
For people responsible for strategy, culture, accountability and whole-school improvement.
- Planning for attendance success
- Building a culture of belonging
- Attendance Champion toolkit
- Using data for action, not description
Heads of Year, Pastoral Teams & Tutors
For colleagues who notice change early, build relationships and hold attendance conversations every day.
- Recognising early attendance risk
- Belonging and pupil relationships
- Supporting catch-up after absence
- Making attendance conversations count
Attendance Officers & Administration
For staff managing the systems, communication, chronology and operational response around attendance.
- Effective follow-up and recording
- Case chronology and review
- Letters and communication quality
- Knowing when a case is drifting
SEND, EBSA & Inclusion Staff
For SENDCos, inclusion leads, pastoral specialists and staff supporting emotionally based or needs-related absence.
- Supporting pupils with EBSA
- Managing anxiety in schools
- SEND, inclusion and attendance
- Reintegration and reasonable support
Governors, Trustees & Trust Leaders
For those providing strategic challenge, assurance and oversight across schools or organisations.
- What good attendance leadership looks like
- Interpreting attendance risk
- Asking stronger assurance questions
- Evaluating impact over time
Family-facing & Multi-agency Staff
For people working directly with parents, carers and wider services where attendance has become difficult.
- Working effectively with parents and carers
- Understanding barriers without blame
- Planning collaborative next steps
- Knowing when wider services should be involved
The current Top 10, made easier to use.
The subjects schools request most often remain available, but now sit inside a clearer professional learning structure.
Planning for Success
Set attendance priorities, roles and actions with greater clarity.
Open trainingAttendance & Examinations
Connect attendance, preparation and exam readiness.
Open trainingSupporting Pupils with EBSA
Build more informed responses to emotionally based absence.
Open resourceWorking with Parents & Carers
Strengthen conversations and collaborative attendance support.
Explore supportManaging Catch-up
Reduce the learning friction created by repeated absence.
Open trainingCreating a Culture of Belonging
Strengthen connection, relationships and reasons to attend.
Open trainingAttendance Champion Toolkit
Support the person leading attendance improvement across the school.
Find toolkitManaging Anxiety in Schools
Help staff understand anxiety and attendance without oversimplifying either.
Explore SEND / inclusionA-Z Guide to Navigating School
Help pupils and families understand the systems and people around them.
Explore family hubSEND, Inclusion & Attendance
Connect attendance improvement with inclusion and reasonable support.
Enter specialist hubThree practical sessions you can use immediately.
These existing Portal training sessions provide a simple starting sequence for schools wanting something usable now.
Senior Leaders - 60 minutes
Strategic ownership, culture, accountability, evidence and leadership of attendance improvement.
Open SLT sessionTutors / Class Teachers - 30 minutes
The daily role of relationships, early noticing, communication and belonging.
Open tutor sessionHeads of Year / Pastoral - 30 minutes
Accountability, case leadership, early intervention and the pastoral response to attendance risk.
Open pastoral sessionUse CPD as part of your attendance improvement cycle.
Training has more impact when it is linked to the problems the school is trying to solve, followed by implementation, review and evidence of changed practice.
A simple professional learning sequence
Diagnose the issue, choose the right role-based training, agree what will change, then return to the evidence after implementation.
Free resources get you started. Membership gives you the full training library.
Members can access deeper CPD packages, editable slide decks, facilitator materials, structured programmes and specialist implementation resources.
Choose the people you need to develop, give them the right learning, and connect that learning directly to attendance practice.