Read how Attend is improving Attendance with Weatherhead High School
Q. Can you provide some context about Weatherhead High School and the challenges it faces with attendance?
A. At Weatherhead, we are proud to serve a diverse and inclusive community, including a high proportion of disadvantaged students, those eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), and learners with SEND. Despite being a highly popular and oversubscribed school, since covid attendance has been a significant challenge for us. We’ve worked hard to improve it with targeted support and interventions, but there is more to be done. The pandemic created an issue, as some parents became more accepting of absences, not fully understanding the long-term impact on their child’s education, peers, or their teachers.
Q. Why did you adopt the Attend system for attendance management?
A. Attendance is a key focus area for us, and while we’d made progress, we needed a more powerful tool to help us achieve our goals. Attend stood out because it provides instant access to meaningful data and reports, which allow us to focus on the areas that need the most attention. Before Attend, extracting data from our MIS and manipulating it for reports was a time-consuming process. With Attend, everything is available instantly, and it syncs every 30–40 minutes, so we’re always working with live data. It’s also flexible enough to work with our policies and procedures, making it an excellent fit.
Q. What improvements have you seen since using Attend?
A. The impact has been significant. Within a short period, we’ve already reduced Persistent Absence (PA) by 5%, which is a fantastic achievement. Attend has made it so much easier to track and target specific groups of students, allowing us to focus our interventions where they are most needed. The ability to break down our data into smaller, manageable groups has been a game changer – we’re able to make real progress with one group before moving on to the next, rather than feeling overwhelmed by a long list of students
Q. How has Attend improved staff efficiency?
A. Attend has saved us so much time. Previously, compiling reports or piecing together a student’s attendance history was a laborious task, but now it’s all there at the click of a button. The system gives us a complete narrative, including barriers to attendance, interventions, and even a full communication trail of emails, texts, and letters. This helps us understand our students better and take action quickly. Staff find the system easy to use and more are now using it directly. They appreciate having instant access to live data, which means we can all respond faster and more effectively.
Q. How does Attend support parental engagement and communication?
A. The built-in communication tools are brilliant. For example, with a recent complex medical case, Attend prompted me to check in with a parent, and within just a few clicks, I was able to send a quick, personalised message. The parent responded straight away, and the whole interaction felt much more personal and responsive. Parents also appreciate the personalised messages we send, which include details such as the number of days or the lessons their child has missed. It really resonates with them and helps to foster a supportive environment. Attend even tracks engagement, so we can see how well parents are responding, which is essential for improving attendance.
Q. How does the “Absence Watch” feature help manage attendance effectively?
A. The “Absence Watch” feature has been really useful. It continuously analyses real-time data and provides clear, actionable steps for staff, such as scheduling home visits, making phone calls, or generating letters. What’s particularly impressive is how it automatically sends personalised and contextual messages to parents. For example, if a student is late or absent due to illness, the system sends a gentle but meaningful nudge to bring the issue to their attention. This automation is invaluable, especially when we’re limited by time and resources. It ensures that no student or issue is overlooked, and the system is always improving, which helps us focus our efforts where they’re most needed.
Q. What has your experience been like working with Attend?
A. The support from Attend has been amazing. Our Attend Partner provided one-to-one training and has helped us tailor the system to fit our specific needs. I’ve worked with a lot of systems in the past, but I’ve never experienced this level of support. The team really understands schools and the challenges we face with attendance. What’s even better is that they listen to our feedback – we’ve suggested a few improvements, and they’ve implemented them quickly, which has been a huge help. It feels like a genuine partnership.
