Your School Attendance Problem Might Not Be About Attendance

**School attendance problems aren't always caused by a lack of motivation. Sometimes they're caused by barriers that build up throughout a pupil's day.** In this solo episode of *Headship After Hours*, Paul Collin introduces the idea of **attendance friction** and challenges headteachers to look beyond attendance percentages to understand why pupils struggle to get through the school gate. A pupil might be anxious about an unfinished homework task, worried about being late, struggling with transport or concerned about how adults will respond when they return after an absence. Individually, these may seem like small problems. Together, they can make attending school feel overwhelming. Paul explores: - Why attendance data doesn't always reveal the real barriers - How small difficulties accumulate into persistent absence - Why attendance letters and rewards don't solve every problem - The importance of the school gate, reception and first lesson - How to conduct an attendance friction audit - Why vulnerable pupils experience school systems differently - How school leaders can remove barriers without lowering expectations - Why better attendance strategies begin with understanding the pupil's experience **A practical challenge for your SLT:** Choose five pupils whose attendance is declining. Map their journey from the previous evening through to the first 30 minutes of the school day. Where is attendance becoming harder than it needs to be? Because improving attendance isn't always about pushing harder. Sometimes it's about removing the barriers that make getting to school difficult. Paul also discusses the Attendance Advantage programme and the Senior Attendance and Leadership Resilience Check for schools seeking strategic support. Find out more through the links in the show notes. 🎙️ *Headship After Hours* with Paul Collin — practical reflections on school leadership, attendance and creating schools where pupils can thrive. 00:00 – The Attendance Problem That Isn't About Attendance 00:51 – How Small Barriers Become Big Problems 02:18 – Why Attendance Strategies Can Miss the Real Issue 02:39 – How to Conduct an Attendance Friction Audit 03:38 – Why More Letters and Rewards May Not Work 05:40 – Remove Barriers Without Lowering Expectations 06:26 – Why Vulnerable Pupils Experience More Friction 07:09 – The Five-Pupil Attendance Exercise 07:51 – Why Small Changes Can Improve Attendance 08:11 – Attendance Advantage: Finding the Real Barriers