Attendance and exclusion

Pupils' time at school is a period of constant and sometimes rapid development. This can be very challenging for children and young people and uses a lot of their physical and emotional energy, which may reduce their capacity to learn. All pupils at all stages of education should be able to expect a high quality of personal support. Schools should offer to help them with their personal development, and help them deal with decisions and concerns throughout their time in the school.

All staff in schools have a role to play in personal support. They can do this by helping children and young people develop the skills and qualities they need to mature and to help them with decisions that will affect their future. In primary and special schools, class teachers have always assumed a caring role towards pupils and have contributed greatly to their personal development and to their support in times of difficulty. In secondary schools, guidance teachers have taken a crucial role in supporting pupils and in working with other agencies for their benefit.

Staff also play a vital role when specific difficulties arise, whether they are the normal difficulties associated with growing up or the more complex problems of a particular individual. We should also offer help to those with particular needs, which are sometimes best dealt with through partnership working with other agencies. Effective personal support leads to better achievement.

'Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential’, the report of the National Review of Guidance from 2005, sets out the 10 standards of personal support in schools. It says that all schools are expected to:

• help young people to know how to seek information and support throughout life
• provide access to information to help young people make informed decisions and choices
• give young people opportunities for citizenship and participation, through involvement in their school community, their neighbourhoods and in democratic society
• provide regular review of progress in learning, and personal and social development
• help with transitions between stages in education and beyond
• help young people to plan for the future
• provide access to help and support
• co-ordinate support between agencies and schools
• respect confidentiality 
• ensure time and space to seek help.