Worried your attendance work only ever tackles the tip of the iceberg? Join Jayne Lowe OBE, attendance adviser to the DfE, to see expert analysis of attendance data in action, immerse yourself in strategies that have got vulnerable pupils into school, day in, day out, and feel on top of Ofsted’s new report card.
You’ll explore what’s known to work, with Jayne and leaders from 4 schools and trusts that have tackled complex attendance challenges, and leave with your own ‘twin-track’ plan to intervene early, track progress and focus where it matters most.
Why book this course?
- Highly rated and back by popular demand! 89% of participants rated this course 4+/5 for value in its first, sell-out run in autumn 2025
- No lectures. No dry videos. Just live, hands-on, social learning
- See it. Do it. Watch a skill live, try it yourself and get feedback that sticks
- Learn with an attendance specialist and experienced school leader. Your trainer, Jayne Lowe OBE, is a trusted attendance adviser to the DfE and the former headteacher of an ‘outstanding’ PRU
- Hear authentic attendance success stories from the leaders living and breathing them. Leaders from 4 school and trust settings will share how they’ve turned attendance around, with data as their starting point
Course schedule
Class 1
Tuesday 28 April 2026
4pm to 5.30pm
Live, on Zoom
Digging into your data and finding the ‘why’
Learn how to:
- Interrogate your data to spot critical patterns and trends, and early warning signs for 'at risk' pupils you might otherwise miss
- Ask questions and ‘dig deeper’ to uncover the real barriers to attendance, for those 'at risk' and your most vulnerable pupils
Followed by an optional Q&A, from 5.30pm.
Class 2
Tuesday 5 May 2026
4pm to 5.30pm
Live, on Zoom
Building your ‘twin-track’ attendance plan
- Learn how to create your own 'twin-track' plan to encourage good attendance, intervene early and target interventions at persistent and severe absence
- Get a handle on Ofsted’s new report card – what the standards for attendance mean for you
Plus, hear leaders from 4 school and trust settings sharing how they implemented their 'twin-track' attendance plans, after interrogating their data and uncovering the ‘why’ behind it:
- Laura Cole, principal, St. Gregory's Catholic Primary School
- Marc Hartley, deputy headteacher, Adelaide Heath Academy (SEMH school)
- Peter Hines OBE, headteacher, and Sarah Vaughan MBE, deputy headteacher, Perryfields Primary PRU
- Sarah Milne, director of safeguarding and SEND, Three Spires Trust
Followed by an optional Q&A, from 5.30pm.
Your expert course trainer
Jayne Lowe OBE, expert attendance adviser to the DfE and former headteacher, is back with The Key by popular demand to lead a third run of this highly successful course.
Jayne has managed attendance across a local authority and successfully developed and implemented strategy and leading practice with schools and local authorities around the country. As the founder and managing director of Bright Green Learning, she has also provided school improvement support to over 100 schools, with a particular focus on attendance, leadership and behaviour.
Participants of previous runs of this course have praised Jayne’s “fresh ideas”, “practical strategies and advice” and “engaging, informative and warm” approach.
You can connect with Jayne on LinkedIn. You can also hear directly from her in our Trust Matters: Lessons in Leadership podcast episode on what every school leader needs to know to tackle attendance – listen on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcast.
Your guest speakers and what they’ll bring to the course
Laura Cole, principal
St. Gregory's Catholic Primary School
Laura once felt that attendance barriers like persistent unauthorised family holidays (particularly among her pupils with EAL) and sky-high illness absence in the youngest classes were simply factors outside of her control. She will demonstrate how she stopped viewing these complex issues as unavoidable and instead created a strategic plan that significantly reduced all types of absence.
Marc Hartley, deputy headteacher
Attendance at Adelaide Heath Academy was critically low; below 50%, with pupils attending barely half a week. The core challenge? Parents frequently removed children for holidays or days out, demonstrating a fundamental lack of value placed in the school's specialist SEMH provision. Marc will show you how he strategically addressed the erosion of trust and value. He will explain the targeted approaches used to shift parental and pupil perception, secure consistent attendance, and make sure that vulnerable pupils receive the specialised support they desperately need.
Peter Hines OBE, headteacher and Sarah Vaughan MBE, deputy headteacher
As leaders of a PRU, Peter and Sarah faced the ultimate attendance challenge: engaging pupils and parents who are fundamentally disengaged with education. They wrestled with the question: why would these pupils choose to attend yet another school? Peter and Sarah will demonstrate how their school creates a bespoke, highly-nurturing environment. They will share the strategic steps the school has taken to raise attendance levels and prove that tailored support and relationship building can overcome the deepest barriers to attendance.
Sarah Milne, director of safeguarding and SEND
The secondary schools in Sarah’s trust were stuck with attendance hovering at 84%. Despite trying everything from attendance assemblies to parent newsletters, nothing seemed to move the needle. Sarah will share the critical moment that leaders realised their actions were failing because they weren't driven by data. She will show you how to move past generic interventions and create a focused, analytical strategy that targets the actual root causes of low attendance in your school(s).
Who can attend
This course is for you if you’re:
- A senior leader in a school or trust
- An attendance officer in a school or trust
- Responsible for attendance in a school or trust
Relevant to all phases and settings.
This course is exclusively available to The Key's Whole School members. If you're not yet a Whole School member, find out more here.
More reasons to love this course
Your live classes won't be lectures. Jayne will engage the class, invite discussion, prompt peer discussion activities and leave plenty of room for Q&A. You'll learn by doing, with practical tasks between classes and regular feedback from your trainer and class colleagues.
Learning virtually doesn't mean learning solo. This course is designed to be rich in energising interaction between you and your colleagues – it's your safe space to ask questions and seek peer feedback, and make connections for life.
Apply what you learn straight away, with practical strategies drawn from expert advice and excellent practice. Adopt the best of what works, for immediate change and lasting impact in your school.
Complete your classes and get a certificate of achievement from The Key for your learning record.