"A north London school has swapped truancy fines for parents for education awareness courses. The head teacher of Netley Primary School in Camden, Gareth Morris, decided to try a different method to tackle the number of children regularly missing lessons - and has been praised for the success of his approach. Inspired by speed awareness courses offered to drivers as an educational alternative to speeding fines, the "empathetic" approach asks parents who are at risk of receiving a fixed penalty notice."
"The courses have "dramatically" improved attendance for eight out of 10 families who have taken part so far, the school said. "The feedback from parents has been incredibly positive, especially around highlighting the anxiety their children feel from missing school," Mr Morris said."
"He also praised the 'essential' work of Netley Primary's full-time support worker, Simone Sarosh-Cambridge, whose job it is to monitor attendance and offer a support package to any child flagged on her list for repeated absence, but also to work directly with children to build their confidence."
Netley Primary School in Camden replaced parental truancy fines with four-session education awareness courses for parents at risk of receiving fixed penalty notices. The approach was inspired by speed awareness alternatives and focuses on the risks of persistent absence. Attendance improved dramatically for eight out of 10 families who participated, and parents reported increased awareness of the anxiety children feel from missing school. Fixed penalty notices remain an option if attendance does not improve, while improved cases receive continued enhanced support and monitoring. A full-time support worker monitors attendance, offers support packages, and works directly with children to build confidence.
Read at www.bbc.com
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