Welsh Government announces £8.8m boost in bid to improve school attendance
The Welsh Government has unveiled plans to invest £8.8m over the next two years to enhance school attendance and engagement.
The funding includes £1.5m earmarked for recruiting additional Family Engagement Officers (FEOs), key figures in supporting families and improving student attendance.
It comes as part of the ongoing efforts to raise educational standards in Wales.
Although school attendance in Wales has already seen a 0.5% increase this year, there has been a rise in absences in schools since the pandemic.
Education Secretary Lynne Neagle said more needs to be done to address absenteeism.
“Improving attendance is one of my top priorities,” said Ms. Neagle.
“I am happy to see that attendance has improved, but more work needs to be done to tackle the underlying issues causing absenteeism.”
From left to right; Emma Thomas, Head Teacher Adamsdown Primary School, Lynne Neagle, Cabinet Secretary for Education, Tracey Gallagher, Family Engagement Officer, Sophie Moignard, Community Focused Schools Cluster Manager, Cardiff Local Authority and Emily Parker, Local Authority Community Focused Schools Officer.
The additional funding aims to help boost attendance rates by supporting the recruitment of additional FEOs, who are key to increasing engagement with learners and their families and making school a more positive environment.
FEOs are employed schools to help foster a trusting and positive relationship between their schools and families by bridging the gap between school and home life. Through offering support and guidance, they ensure that parents and carers feel listened to and are engaged with the school.
They work to improve attendance by understanding the broader factors that may be preventing the child from wanting to attend school and working with families to tackle these.
The Welsh Government has already invested £6.5m this year to support around 200 FEO posts and this will be built upon in the next financial year.
Ms Neagle added: “I will build on this valuable support further with additional funding in the next financial year to ensure we can increase and retain these roles.
“Family Engagement Officers are vital in facilitating a relationship between families and schools and in doing so help tackle the root causes of absenteeism.
“Their work has already had high levels of success, and I look forwarding to seeing the continued improvement for our learners.”
