School attendance in North Lanarkshire boosted thanks to new initiative

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A team of newly appointed officers in North Lanarkshire appears to have achieved good early results in boosting school attendance.

North Lanarkshire Council has used Scottish Attainment Challenge funding to employ family engagement support assistants, who work primarily with deprived families to help ensure their children attend school as frequently as possible.Since December seven of these workers have been recruited and are working with 99 families, often achieving rapid increases in school attendance.The family engagement support assistants are considered to have a more positive relationship with families than was experienced with attendance officers.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Their work was highlighted in a recent report on attendance figures which was presented to councillors.

Since the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, concern over school attendance has increased at councils across Scotland, although in North Lanarkshire it remains slightly higher than in the previous year.