Partille Municipality, Sweden: “The value of AV1 is often hope”

Partille municipality in Sweden has seen pupils go from being completely absent from school to fully participating in lessons again, with AV1 playing a significant role in supporting their return.

Partille’s results are consistent with evidence from AV1 use across Europe. Evaluations of more than 10,000 interventions show that almost eight in ten were successful. Where returning to school was a relevant goal, 77% of pupils returned to in-person learning.

But for Frida Lindén, Development Lead and Head of Educational Development at Partille Municipality, AV1’s value goes far beyond the numbers:

“The value of AV1 is often hope.”

Staying connected and supporting a return to the classroom

School non-attendance does not begin only when a pupil stops coming to school altogether. For many pupils, absence increases gradually, and the need for support becomes apparent much earlier.

Partille Municipality has therefore spent many years taking a preventative approach, combining early, coordinated support with measures designed to improve school attendance. As part of this wider strategy, the municipality centrally manages a fleet of ten AV1 units, allocating them to schools according to pupils’ individual circumstances and needs.

AV1 helps pupils stay connected to lessons, classmates and the wider school community when they cannot attend in person, while supporting a gradual return to the classroom. It can also be introduced at an early stage for pupils who are still attending school, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who may need to join lessons from a quieter or more supportive setting for part of the day. Through AV1, they can continue participating in classroom learning and remain connected to their classmates, helping to prevent their absence from increasing.

“We’ve spent many years working to improve school attendance and exploring the different measures that can help. We realised that AV1 could be one of those tools,” says Frida.

Each AV1 intervention is reviewed, enabling the municipality to understand how the solution works in different contexts while continuously refining its use.

“We have seen very positive outcomes,” Frida adds.

Tailored solutions based on individual needs

Before becoming Deputy Headteacher at Partille’s school for pupils with special educational needs, Viktoria Axelsson worked as a special educational needs teacher at Öjersjö Storegård. It was there that she first gained experience of using AV1.

AV1 was introduced to support a pupil who had been absent from school for an extended period and was unable to attend in person. Several forms of support had already been tried, including a move to a different school, but the pupil had still been unable to return.

“I saw AV1 as a possible way forward. I was curious and wanted to give it a try,” says Viktoria.

Before introducing AV1, the school carefully assessed the pupil’s circumstances, strengths and individual needs.

“What are the pupil’s strengths and interests? Which subjects might be suitable to start with? And what does their home environment allow for?” Viktoria explains.

With AV1 forming an integral part of the school’s wider support package, the pupil began taking part in lessons again. During a lesson in a subject they were particularly interested in, an exchange with the pupil’s teacher marked an important step towards returning to school.

“At the end of the lesson, the teacher said, ‘We’ll have to stop there and pick it up next time.’ The pupil responded, ‘Then I want to be there. I’m coming to the next lesson.’ That was an incredible moment.”

Now in her new role at Partille’s School for Pupils with Special Educational Needs (Partille anpassad grundskola), Viktoria is looking forward to drawing on that experience and exploring how AV1 can support pupils at the school.

Remaining part of the class, even from a distance

Sofia Johansson and Linda Corneliusson are teachers at Furulundsskolan, where they have used AV1 to help absent pupils remain part of classroom life.

Before introducing AV1, the school informed the pupils’ guardians about how it would be used. Sofia and Linda then introduced AV1 to their classes, explaining its purpose and how the pupils could include their absent classmates. The classes quickly embraced the robots, giving them names and decorating them.

“The pupils were incredibly curious and wanted to bring it along everywhere – at break time and when they were working in groups,” Linda explains.

For Sofia, the most significant impact was the pupil’s continued sense of social connection and belonging.

“We found it incredibly inclusive. It made a real difference socially, helping the pupil remain part of the group even when they couldn’t be there in person.”

By enabling pupils to take part in both lessons and the social life of the class during a period of absence, AV1 helps preserve their connection to the school community. This continuity can also make returning to the classroom feel less daunting when they are ready.

AV1 as an early and preventative intervention

Partille’s use of AV1 extends beyond the individual examples from Öjersjö Storegård and Furulundsskolan. Across the municipality, the robot has supported pupils in a range of circumstances where they have been unable to participate in school life in the same way as their classmates.

This includes pupils with physical health conditions or psychosocial challenges who need to join lessons from home. AV1 is also used within the school, allowing pupils to participate from a group room when the classroom environment does not meet their needs throughout the day.

“We have used AV1 to support pupils experiencing various psychosocial difficulties who have been unable to come to school. We have also used it in flex groups – smaller, more supportive learning settings within the school – where a pupil might spend part of the day in mainstream lessons and part of the day in the group,” Frida explains.

Within a flex group, AV1 can support a gradual transition into the classroom. A pupil may initially join lessons through AV1 from the group before taking the next step into the classroom when they are ready.

AV1 can also provide continuity during a temporary physical absence. For example, when a pupil with a broken leg was unable to access their usual classroom, they could continue participating in lessons from elsewhere in the school building or from home.

AV1 is therefore not limited to pupils who are already experiencing prolonged or extensive absence. Introducing it early can help pupils remain connected to learning, continue participating in school and prevent their absence from escalating.

“Helping even one pupil makes it worthwhile”

In Partille, some pupils have gone from not attending school at all to attending full-time again. Though AV1 was not the only intervention, it played an important part in helping them reconnect with learning, rebuild their relationship with school and take steps back into the classroom.

Behind every such outcome is a pupil who has regained access to learning – and a family for whom the future may look very different.

“If we can help even one pupil – one family – it is incredibly worthwhile. It is difficult to put a figure on that,” says Frida.

Her advice to other municipalities is equally straightforward:

“Don’t be afraid to give it a try.”

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