Pupils rewarded with iPads, bikes and pizza parties for good attendance
Schools are offering rewards including iPads and bikes to children to boost attendance, a report has suggested.
Pupils are being given incentives, such as pizza parties and school trips, and are being entered into prize draws to tackle absences, according to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) report.
School leaders should prioritise encouraging and 'individualised' approaches to increase attendance and create 'a sense of belonging', the NFER has said.
This could include ensuring that attendance and behaviour policies 'prioritise encouragement and support over sanctions,' the paper said.
It comes as recent Government figures revealed that the number of pupils classed as 'severely absent' in England reached a record high last year.
Department for Education (DfE) data last week found that the number of unauthorised pupil absences from schools in England increased last year.
The NFER study – which explores interviews with staff and pupils from nine secondary schools and survey responses from more than 600 secondary school teachers and leaders – found pupils in sanctions-led schools were more likely to perceive attendance policies as 'punitive and unfair'.
It said schools that combined reward with sanctions had seen 'higher pupil engagement' with attendance policies as children felt motivated to attend.
Incentives in schools for high attendance included prize draws – with rewards such as bikes and iPads – and pizza parties.
In some schools, high attendance was a key criterion for being allowed to attend Year 11 prom or trips, the report said.
Earlier this month, Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said school had become 'optional' for some families since the Covid-19 pandemic and he suggested that the 'blunt instrument' of fines for unauthorised absences was not reversing the trend.
The former Conservative government announced plans to raise fines for pupil absences in February last year, to boost attendance since the pandemic.
In September, school absence fines in England rose from £60 to £80, and a parent who receives a second fine for the same child within a three-year period will now receive a £160 fine.
The NFER study suggests that illness, mental health issues and term-time holidays were primary reasons for pupil absence in the participating schools.
It has called on school leaders to work closely with parents to understand the barriers to attendance. This could include workshops and home visits.
The NFER has also called on policymakers to increase funding for attendance and pastoral support to help schools.
Matt Walker, NFER senior research manager and co-author of the report, said: 'Attendance is strongly linked to educational outcomes, so it's concerning that absence rates remain high.
'The study responses suggest schools should consider prioritising encouraging and individualised approaches in addition to punitive sanctions.'
Mr Di'Iasio said: 'We agree that a one-size-fits-all approach is not the way forward, and school leaders must be free to tailor policies to the needs and characteristics of their cohort.
'Appropriate rewards and sanctions have their part to play, but individualised support that quickly identifies why a pupil is absent from school, and helps them to return to the classroom as soon as possible, can be hugely effective.'
He added: 'There needs to be a strategic response from the government to the growing problem of pupil absence, and schools must be provided with the tools they need to tackle this.'
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'These findings echo what school leaders tell us about the severe limitations of parental fines in improving pupil attendance.
'Absence most often reflects issues beyond the school gate, like mental health challenges and poverty, and clearly identifying and being able to support families to address these issues is far more effective.'
He added: 'If the link between absence and term-time holidays is to be broken, the only sustainable solution is government action to prevent travel firms unfairly hiking prices during school holidays.'
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