Extended School Non-Attendance - Print version

Extended School Non-Attendance

Attending school is often seen as crucial for developing not only children's academic ability but also their skills, values, cultural knowledge and sense of citizenship. Equally, it is recognised that most children will occasionally not attend school for a short while during their education. However, for a proportion of the school age population, this absence becomes extended and acts as a barrier to learning and development. Knowing how best to support children with extended school non-attendance can be challenging. As there are many possible reasons for the non-attendance and many different ways to support.

When supporting children with extended non-attendance, schools should work in close partnership with families and seek support from their link SEND and Inclusion partners to agree a graduated response. In some cases, this will lead to an improvement in the situation and no further action will be needed. In cases, where despite this support being provided, the child’s situation has shown none or only limited improvement, schools may refer the child's case to the Extended School Non-Attendance Panel (ESNAP).

The ESNAP process is designed to ensure a more streamlined approach for identifying and supporting children at risk of missing education in line with Section 19 of the Education Act 1996, with ongoing efforts to enhance support for children who face barriers to regular attendance. 

Section 19 policy [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/37366/section-19-policy].

ESNAP is made up of professionals from Coventry’s Children Absent from Education team, InspirED Pathways, Coventry Alternative Provision, the Education Psychology Service, Complex Communication team, Edge of Care, Early Help and Health. The panel meets once a month to discuss referrals and determine if Section 19 criteria is met. If Section 19 criteria is not met guidance may be given to each school for their consideration. After each meeting, a member of the panel will feedback outcomes of discussions to the referring school.

There are now 2 distinctive referral routes for schools to follow when managing a child with extended school non-attendance:

• route A: Notification of Absence of a child for 15 Days or More: For children who have been, or are at risk of being, absent for 15 days or more, but for whom the school can continue to provide adequate educational support:
  • this notification route is for situations where a child has been, or may be, absent for 15 or more days but the school is able to continue providing adequate education
  • cases of concern can be discussed with the schools allocated Local Authority Attendance Officer who will offer advice and guidance
  • this is a notification-only process, and the Local Authority will record that the child's educational needs are being met. If attendance worsens, further support may be required, and a referral to ESNAP could be considered

• route B: Referral to ESNAP (Extended School Non-Attendance Panel): For children who may require additional support under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996:
  • the Extended School Non-Attendance Advisory Panel (ESNAAP) has now been replaced with the Extended School Non-Attendance Panel (ESNAP)
  • this panel is established for the consideration of children's who may require support under Section 19 of the Education Act, and especially those who are unable to attend school due to Ill-health or Other as is in line with policy
  • in most cases, schools will effectively support children using their own resources. However, in some situations, the Council may need to support the school to coordinate the support that a child requires
  • when making a referral to ESNAP, schools should demonstrate that they have considered a graduated response to supporting the child with early intervention, such as utilising my support plans, the CAP Graduated Model of Support (Coventry Alternative Provision), made reasonable adjustments, and/or sought support from other teams such as the Educational Psychologist and CCSP
  • schools should also demonstrate how they have utilised advice from Local Authority Attendance Officers including how they have discussed and agreed approaches for persistently absent children where they have barriers to attendance that require a multi-agency response to overcome

Please ensure that parents are aware of and understand the Extended School Non-Attendance Privacy Notice [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/45586/extended-school-non-attendance-privacy-notice] before submitting referrals.

The Attend Tool must also be completed prior to completing the ESNAP referral form. 

To request a copy of the ATTEND tool, email Coventrysendsupportservice@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:CoventrySENDSupportService@coventry.gov.uk] . Your link Educational Psychologist can provide more information about how to use the tool with families.

Extended school non-attendance form [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/extended_school_non_attendance]

Extended School Non-Attendance Panels 2025 to 2026 [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/45587/extended-school-non-attendance-panels-2025-26]