How do we maximise health interventions that could prevent the risk of and reverse persistent and severe absence?

Why does this matter?

The barriers from mental and physical ill-health e.g. short-term illness, ongoing physical health and mental health challenges, social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs are a main driver of persistent absence. DfE reports it as THE biggest driver impacting on Persistent Absence (PA) numbers. Data for this Redcar & Cleveland Project in 2023 found lots of intersects between the incidence of poor or limited health and attendance rates by children and young people, whether ill themselves and / or whether caring for someone in their family who is struggling. Illness (not medical or dental appointments etc) accounted for 39% of authorised absences of CYP classified as severely absent (SA) in primary schools using Autumn 2023 R&C data; 35% amongst secondary school SA pupils and 12% of those in special schools. Health needs and service pressures mean children and young people’s needs are unmet or undiagnosed; there are thought to be a lack of special school places and specialist support, and with complex illness there are issues around appointments and transport.

What can we do about this together?

The Making Attendance Everyone’s Business Project is teaming up with Public Health South Tees to look at all the different ways in which good health can promote good attendance and vice versa. As well as embedding the topic of attendance into the new Health and Wellbeing Strategy – which ensures some long-term strategic focus on the relationship between health and attendance – we are identifying practical ways in which schools, families, children, young people and communities can promote healthy activities and behaviours to support good attendance across the Borough. This might be linked to physical health, mental health, nutrition and much more besides.

HealthStart for schools – brand new!

One of the newest offers that we wish as many schools as possible to adopt is the ‘HealthStart’ offer. Please click on the logo above or this link to download the booklet explaining all the different services and support that might ultimately support good attendance.

HeadStart

Headstart was introduced in Middlesbrough in 2013 as a Public Health South Tees initiative with the vision to – ‘Give all children and young people in South Tees the necessary support to build resilience to achieve good emotional health’.

This ambitious programme seeks to do this by:

Supporting children and young people aged 0-19 to cope in better in difficult circumstances and do well in school and in life
Building resilience in children and young people to prevent the onset of common mental health problems
Learning from different approaches and contribute to an evidence base for investment in prevention and early intervention
Developing an early intervention and prevention model to provide support in school, at home, in the community and virtually
Developing a co-production model with children and their families

Predicated on evidence-based resilience therapy (Hart and Blincow), HeadStart delivery comprises:

Training for professionals to upskill and inform
Quality audits to embed a resilient approach across organisations
HeadStarters – emotional wellbeing training
Mental Health Leads in Schools and networks to support whole school approaches
Interventions for children and young people to provide help at an early stage
Information, advice and guidance through this website, social media, newsletters etc.

For more information about HeadStart, please contact Wendy Kelly, Lead for Children and Young People’s Emotional Well-being (HeadStart Service Manager)

Public Health South Tees
Email: Wendy_Kelly@middlesbrough.gov.uk

For updates on HeadStart in Redcar & Cleveland please see Redcar and Cleveland : HeadStart South Tees and also feel free to contact nicola_hunt@middlesbrough.gov.uk (HeadStart R and C team leader) to get involved.

If you want to find out more about emotional health, wellbeing more generally, check out the Young Minds website.

Communicable & non-communicable diseases, infection control and attendance

Please take a look at these couple of presentations that touch on this topic. It’s often hard to know when, as a parent, to keep your child off school or not and having some information can support good decisions.

For more information on this please contact Sarah Slater at Sarah_Slater@middlesbrough.gov.uk.

We recommend opening the presentations and searching for the word ‘attendance’ to bring up the content you need quickly.

South Tees Annual Health Protection Workshop for Children - Agenda

South Tees Annual Health Protection Assurance Workshop for Children - Presentation

18% of absence is linked to asthma

Research studies suggest that asthma is responsible for up to 18% of school absences, with evidence improved asthma control improves school attendance and performance.’
Source: Northern Child Network NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB, Child Health Tuesday Roundup, 24th September 2024

A range of opportunities and support exists to support schools to become asthma friendly. Find out more at Beat Asthma Friendly Schools.

BAFS is a framework for accreditation and suitable supportive resources to enable school settings in the North East and North Cumbria to improve asthma care in the community.

We want you!

Want to get involved in a group dedicated to discovering the links between health and attendance and doing something about it in Redcar & Cleveland? We’re looking for willing colleagues in schools, colleges, professional services and the VCSE sector for 2025 to drive some practical actions forward with us.

Please contact Amanda Olvanhill at Amanda.Olvanhill@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk.

Making Attendance Everyone’s Business in Redcar & Cleveland