Absent pupils can still be in the room
AV1 gives an absent pupil a physical presence in class from the first day of absence, so the gap between them and their classmates never gets the chance to escalate.
How AV1 Admin works
AV1 Admin is a portal which works on any web browser. It is easy to use, and its features are guided by the needs of municipalities and schools. On top of this, you get usage statistics for your AV1 Robots to see the impact you create for your absent students.
There are two access levels in AV1 Admin, Administrators and School Assistants.
As an Administrator, you get a dashboard and detailed information about all the AV1 Robots owned by your organisation, as well as all the same access as School Assistants.
As a School Assistant, your access level ensures you can get the robot set up, tested and running smoothly at school.
Absence rarely starts as a crisis
There are usually early signs of absence before it becomes entrenched. Teachers, SENCOs and inclusion leads can already spot which pupils are at risk of absence before the local authority has to step in. Those who started missing a day or two last term, or have received a diagnosis, or whose anxiety makes it difficult to get through the school gate.
None of that presents as an attendance or reintegration crisis straight away. By the time persistent absence appears in school data, the gap it describes has usually been growing for weeks or months.
Current DfE attendance guidance is clear: whole-school strategies work best when they start early, remain proportionate, prioritise support before sanctions, and build connection before case assessments. The earlier you act, the more options you have.
A bridge back to the classroom for absent pupils
AV1 is a solution for attendance and reintegration. It allows schools to offer agile support to pupils before a pattern of non-attendance escalates and becomes complex and difficult to reverse.
When a pupil isn't entering the classroom, AV1 provides a bridge for them to still follow along with learning and remain included. Acgting as the pupil’s "presence" in the classroom, it help them stay connected to their teachers and friendship groups, and ensures they still belong.
AV1 can be deployed during periods of medical illness, for pupils experiencing Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA), to facilitate gradual reintegration, or when a pupil needs to follow the lesson from a quieter space or support room within the building.
Adapt AV1 to each child's needs
Every attendance challenge requires individual, tailored support. The best AV1 setup, and the conversations that support it, should reflect the reason a pupil isn't able to be in the classroom.
SEND
Some children benefit from a flexible, tailored approach to participation. AV1 can complement other support plans and adjustments.
Illness and injury
When a child is recovering from injury, surgery, or long-term illness, AV1 keeps them connected to lessons and friends until they’re ready to return.
Early intervention
For the pupils flagged early, a difficult transition, a wobble last term, a family crisis. AV1 is a first response, before absence is entrenched.
Built for classrooms, putting children at the centre
Meets your inclusion responsibilities
AV1 gives you a concrete, documented intervention to show inspectors, governors and parents
Inclusion and belonging
Pupils hear the laughter two minutes before the bell rings. They don't just catch up later – they were there.
No extra workload for class teachers
Rejoining their peers in the classroom, the pupil connects and disconnects seamlessly. This frees up teaching staff to deliver impactful learning to absent students.
Learning and curriculum continuity
No disjointed work packs or catching up in isolation. Through AV1, pupils experience the same lesson from the same teacher, in the same moment as their classmates.
Privacy and security
Student and teacher privacy is completely protected. With unique code authentication and an encrypted livestream that blocks screenshots and recordings, your classroom's privacy is entirely secure.
Reintegration
Returning to school is much easier when a classroom presence is maintained through AV1. In fact, 78% of pupils successfully reintegrate into the classroom.
What schools say after using AV1
“They’re still part of the lesson but in a smaller, safe environment.”
“It’s taken away the discomfort and anxiety that stopped him engaging with learning,”
"She's in the same class group, can log on at break time, and still feels part of the school community."
Funding AV1 with the Inclusive Mainstream Fund (IMF)
A funding stream for mainstream schools and academies to become fully inclusive (England only)
The Inclusive Mainstream Fund is new, ring-fenced government funding of £400 million a year over three years for mainstream primary and secondary schools. Outlined in the Schools White Paper, as part of a wider SEND reform programme, first payments landed in June 2026, with inclusion strategy statements due by December 2026.
IMF sits alongside your existing SEND budget, not instead of it. There's no bidding process: funding is calculated through a national formula and paid directly to academies, or via your local authority if you're a maintained school. You don't need to apply, if you're a mainstream school in England, you already have an allocation.
The DfE hasn't pre-approved a supplier list. It's the headteacher and SLT, working with the SENCO and Business Manager, who decide what the funding is spent on, provided that spending is evidenced against the DfE's seven principles of inclusion and reported in your school's published inclusion strategy.
Use your IMF allocation to fund AV1
From the ring-fenced IMF funding for mainstream schools in England, 2026–27.
No bidding
Allocated automatically by national formula, nothing to apply for.
Get in touch to explore how AV1 can help you
FAQs
Some of the most common questions we get asked. If you can't find what you are looking for, please get in touch.
What is AV1?
AV1 is an attendance and reintegration solution. It helps local authorities, trusts and schools meet their statutory duties in a cost- and resource-effective way, while ensuring inclusion, learning and belonging for every single child.
Where does AV1 work?
AV1 is used in school settings. Pupils connect securely through an app on a tablet to a physical device that sits in the classroom. The device represents them during absence, so they can see and hear what is happening in class in real time, and participate by speaking or raising their hand digitally. The child controls when they connect and can adjust sound and camera direction themselves.
Is AV1 secure and private?
Yes. Safeguarding and data protection are central to how AV1 is designed and used in schools. AV1 is built with privacy at its core; only one student can connect at a time, using a secure login code. When connected, it is visible in the classroom – so there is never any uncertainty about who is present. The livestream is fully encrypted end-to-end. Nothing is recorded or stored. Screenshots and screen recordings are blocked within the app. No personal data is collected about the student or their classmates. AV1 is purpose-built for education settings and designed to protect both the child using it and everyone in the classroom.
Does AV1 replace teaching or other support?
No. AV1 does not replace teachers, learning support, or pastoral care. It is a tool that helps maintain connection to the classroom while other support is in place. AV1 works alongside the adjustments, plans, and professional guidance already agreed for your child – whether that includes learning accommodations, wellbeing support, or a phased return.Its purpose is to preserve access to lessons and relationships during a difficult period, not to substitute the role of educators or specialist services. AV1 is most effective when used as a part of a wide support plan developed in collaboration with the school.
Is AV1 backed by research?
Yes. AV1 has been independently studied by multiple peer-reviewed academic publications and is used in thousands of real school settings worldwide. Survey data from 2,704 completed allocations in 2026 up until October 1st shows 80% achieved their intended goal, while 78% supported a return to in-person learning. Research and real-world outcomes consistently show that maintaining connection to learning and classmates plays an important role in reintegration and belonging.
