Education Welfare Service

This service is available for schools, academies, and free schools.

Education Welfare contributes to the Derby City Council Plan 2022-25 and our goal is to work together to ensure the very best education outcomes for children and young people in Derby.

The core offer that schools, academies and free schools can currently receive free of charge is as follows:

Advice and guidance from a named Education Welfare Officer. 

• Termly targeting support meetings (TSMs) 
• Tracking children missing education (removed from roll after 20 days absence) 
• Advice regarding and issuing of child employment/entertainment licences
• Initiating legal interventions concerning irregular school attendance following work undertaken by academy/school staff. 

Additional, targeted support that academies and schools can request are as follows:

Package 1

40-week, term time work with appropriate staff at the school/academy with the aim of improving and maintaining school attendance and punctuality.

Primary/Junior/Infant schools – a minimum of 1 day per fortnight
Secondary schools – a minimum of 1 day per week

Building on existing internal attendance processes, the Education Welfare Service will provide additional support regarding the attendance of persistently absent (PA) and severely absent (SA) pupils.

Casework with the inclusion of attendance meetings and home visits may be actioned where EWS input is required.

On request, the EWS can carry out an audit of the school/academy's attendance policies and procedures. A report will be completed with an action plan on improving school attendance for the school leadership team and governors.

Register inspections - A full and comprehensive inspection of a school/academy's registers. Advice will be given concerning any issues or anomalies that may be evident during this inspection.  This option is particularly helpful for schools and academies in order to ensure that procedures regarding children missing education (CME) are in place.

Children Missing Education – home visits and tracking support, along with support with referrals via the School Information Portal (SIP).

Package 2

Late gate and whole school ‘blitz’.

Late gate - The EWS can provide extra support at the beginning of the school day to address the issue of children who arrive late at school on a regular basis.  

Whole school blitz - A team of EWOs will visit every child who is not attending school on a named date and no reason has been given for their absence.  The parents of every child who is missing on this day will receive a letter from the EWS informing them of the action taken.

Package 3

Audit and attendance management support

The EWS can provide professional support and supervision for academies and schools whose staff visit family homes to offer guidance and advice on home visiting as well as legal advice on individual cases concerning non-school attendance.

The EWS can carry out an audit of the school/academy's attendance policies and procedures and support provided to develop these.

Benefits for your school

The aim of Education Welfare Service intervention is to improve whole school attendance.  It will also ensure that the attendance of individuals who are causing concern is addressed appropriately.

Improved school attendance has a direct correlation with improved attainment in school and will have a direct impact on children and young people’s futures.  Promoting children’s rights to an education will also ensure that children are safeguarded from harm or neglect.

Cost

Please note: We will initially take expressions of interest only for Education Welfare Sold Service input for 2024-25 due to the need to prioritise the core offer as outlined within working together to improve school attendance. Upon receipt of your interest, a member of the team will make contact to confirm the details of your request.

CiA name: Education Welfare
Internal supplier code: 5506

Contact

Jonathan Howie
Tel: 01332 642254
Email: jonathan.howie@derby.gov.uk

How to order

Now you have selected the services you require, please visit the how to order services section to find out how you can place your order.