Wakefield Council: A Joined-Up Approach to System-Wide Attendance and Reintegration

The Challenge: Solving School Non-Attendance

School absence is creating unsustainable pressure on education systems. The number of students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), medical needs or emotionally based school non-attendance (EBSNA) is growing, and transitions between home, hospital, PRUs, and mainstream settings often causes disruptive breaks in their learning and sense of belonging in school.

Wakefield, like local authorities across the UK, have a statutory duty to provide education for every child, but frequently find it impossible with the funding and resources and available to them.

"Prior to having AV1 available to us, a pupil who wouldn't come into school would get 2 to 3 hours tuition a week. Now they can be here full time and do the same 25 hours that students on site so it means that they are not missing out at all." – Ben Lee, Teacher at Pinderfields PRU.

The Attendance and Reintegration Solution: AV1 Technology Ensures Inclusion, Learning & Belonging for Every Child

To ensure no child falls through the cracks, Wakefield Council adopted a joined-up approach using AV1 as the central bridge for connection. This strategy supports schools across the region, with Wakefield Council providing the strategic oversight, funding, and deployment of the physical AV1 robots.

"The alternative is paying for these children to go to Alternative Provision. In actual fact the use of AV1 for that time limited period is so much more effective for schools." – Jacqui Dundas, Head of Service for Inclusion Strategy & Performance at Wakefield Council

The Impact of AV1 on the Whole System

By embedding our AV1 technology into across departments for Inclusion, SEND, Education Psychology and Medical Needs, the Wakefield approach has demonstrated significant benefits:

• Attendance and Reintegration: Students who were not attending at all now have 100% attendance due to their use of AV1.‍
• Statutory Duty: AV1 ensures education for absent pupils, supporting Ofsted's focus on inclusion and early intervention, and fulfilling Section 19 duty if required.‍
• Learning in Mainstream First: Children maintain access to learning from their own teachers and curriculum, regardless of their physical location.‍
• Efficiency: Reduces need for additional 1-1 support for absent pupils, reducing cost pressure on the whole system.‍
• Belonging: Pupils maintain connection to their peers and school community through AV1, so they never feel left out.

"When Ofsted come to do their inspection we feel confident that we are fully inclusive. We have attendance figures that show these children are not being left behind." – Natalie Jackson, Assistant Headteacher at Pinderfields PRU

"Once they were able to see what was happening in the classroom, they started coming to events like summer fairs. That helped when they transitioned back into school – they felt like they belonged." – Sarah Jackson, SENCO at St John's CE Junior & Infants School

Watch the full video to hear directly from the teams at Wakefield Council, Pinderfields PRU, and St John's CE Primary School on how they are collaborating to transform attendance, reintegration and inclusion.