Abstract
In response to concerns expressed by schools in Liverpool LEA over the number of pupils who were not attending the author designed and managed a citywide campaign to raise school attendance.
The "Cool to be in School" campaign provided the opportunity for close and imaginative working between a variety of public and private agencies including the Merseyside Police Authority. This campaign made use of an authorised pass scheme, a media campaign on local radio and buses, the introduction of pagers for the most persistent cases of non-attendance and school "starter packs" for reception and year 7 pupils. The campaign concentrated on the positive aspects of school attendance and generated significant regional and national interest. It was well received by the local community and schools alike contributing to a 20% reduction in secondary unauthorised absences during a twelve month period.
The lessons learnt from this campaign are far reaching and have shown that, given an appropriate approach, a significant improvement in school attendance can be achieved through a positive approach to school attendance. This point has recently been recognized by the DFEE, by including the "Cool to be in School" initiative as a model of good practice in the recently published document "Tackling Truancy Together".
This workshop will be led by the senior officer responsible for the design and delivery of the campaign and members of the design team. They will share their experiences with the workshop participants through an interactive format, which will provide the opportunity for group discussion and encourage the workshop participants to reflect on the lessons learnt and relate these experiences to their own context.
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