Emma Sanderson, Managing Director of Momenta Connect, part of Outcomes First Group, a leading provider of world-class education, discusses missed education and future success.
For school leaders, attendance is no longer a background metric, it sits at the centre of inspection, accountability and public debate. Absence rates are routinely linked to future life chances, with statistics suggesting that missed schooling leads to poorer career outcomes and lower lifetime earnings. These claims carry significant weight in leadership discussions, but they also demand careful interpretation if they are to inform effective strategy rather than reactive policy.
There is little doubt that strong attendance supports attainment. From a leadership perspective, the relationship is visible in outcomes data, year after year – pupils who attend regularly are more likely to secure key qualifications, particularly in English and mathematics. Because learning builds cumulatively, even small amounts of absence can disrupt progress, especially for pupils already working near key thresholds. This makes attendance a legitimate priority for governing bodies and senior leadership teams seeking to raise standards.
However, school leaders are acutely aware that attendance data rarely tells the full story. The pupils driving absence figures are often those with the most complex needs – pupils with SEND, mental health difficulties, or challenging home circumstances. While statistics may show a clear association between absence and poorer adult outcomes, they do not capture the layered causes behind why pupils are missing school. For leaders, this distinction matters. Treating absence as a standalone problem, risks misdiagnosing an issue that is in reality, a symptom of wider pressures both inside and beyond the school gates.
There is also a challenge in how long-term impact statistics are used. Projections linking days missed at school to future earnings can be persuasive, but can oversimplify the pathways young people actually take. School leaders know that success does not follow a single linear route. Vocational education, apprenticeships, alternative provision and post-16 re-engagement, all offer viable outcomes that are not always reflected in headline data. An overreliance on narrow measures can inadvertently devalue these pathways and distort priorities.
For leadership teams, the key question is not whether attendance matters – it clearly does – but how the data should shape practice. Effective attendance strategies increasingly sit alongside, rather than instead of, pastoral systems, mental health support, inclusive curriculum design, and strong relationships with families. Leaders who see attendance as part of a wider culture of belonging and engagement, are more likely to secure sustainable improvements than those relying solely on monitoring and sanctions.
Ultimately, the statistics do add up in one important respect: missed schooling carries risk, particularly for the most vulnerable pupils. But they should be used as a diagnostic tool, not a blunt instrument. For school leaders navigating intense accountability pressures, the challenge is to balance data-driven urgency with professional judgement, recognising that improving attendance is as much about addressing underlying need, as it is about driving compliance.
