Putteridge High School, in Luton, is bucking the national trend of declining for vulnerable pupils. How have they done it? Schools Week takes a look… Support pupils before they join The school has a four-phased approach, which begins before pupils even join. Moving to a new school is a key time for pupils with special needs, who could struggle in an unfamiliar environment, says Laura Bartoletti, assistant headteacher for pastoral care at Putteridge. Laura Bartoletti 鈥淚f we get this process wrong, it can have a detrimental effect on their attendance from the very get-go.鈥 The school runs three 鈥渟ummer school鈥 days in August, for all new year 7s to 鈥渓earn about the school building, meet their peers and take part in school-based activities鈥. They hold an additional day specifically for pupils with special needs, to meet the SENCo and tour the site. Another pre-transition day solely for SEND pupils allows them to experience a typical day at the secondary, attending lessons and eating lunch in the canteen. Teaching assistants from primary schools also meet with the school鈥檚 SENCo, while Putteridge鈥檚 year 7 staff visit feeder schools to meet SEND pupils too. 鈥淲e also send photo booklets about our building and publish videos so they can watch over the summer,鈥 says Bartoletti. 鈥淭his is really special for our autistic children, because they can start to familiarise themselves.鈥 Staff 鈥済ive up their time鈥 over the summer to facilitate some of the visits. At the end of year 6, a quarter of pupils with SEND are 鈥減ersistently absent鈥 (missing at least 19 days or 10 per cent of school), DfE figures show. This rises to around a third in year 7. At Putteridge, persistent absence among year 7s with SEND is just 8.9 per cent. The school鈥檚 persistent absence rate for those pupils is also 20 per cent 鈥 significantly lower than the national average of 30.3 per cent. Pupil passports and adaptive seating plans Once at the school, staff then work to 鈥済et the minor details right鈥 for vulnerable pupils. 鈥淧upil passports鈥 containing likes, dislikes and special requirements are sent to their teachers. The school also has a wide range of support including a sensory room, a full-time literacy support assistant (ELSA), ADHD and autism screening, Braille lessons, a counsellor, lunch clubs for SEND pupils, speech and language therapy, and reading and writing support. The third approach is around teaching and learning. 鈥淎daptive seating plans鈥 mean teachers know which pupils are vulnerable, while 鈥渉over鈥 teaching assistants support children with additional needs who do not have a dedicated assistant. Children with autism are also given lunch queue passes, so they 鈥渄on鈥檛 have to worry about that social environment鈥. Attendance at Putteridge is monitored closely and the school鈥檚 family worker visits pupils at home if it slips. Putteridge鈥檚 SENCo is full-time and sits on the SLT, to help ensure SEND pupils 鈥渁re a priority鈥. All lessons across the school begin and end in exactly the same way, so that teachers 鈥渃reate a really consistent environment鈥. Pupils must also follow a one-way system through school buildings. 鈥淔or students with needs, this is really comfortable because they can predict what鈥檚 happening next.鈥 Bartoletti says that removing isolation rooms has been 鈥渙ne of our school鈥檚 biggest successes鈥. Instead, the school focuses on 鈥渨orking out what that child’s barrier was to behaving in a class鈥 and addressing it so they can continue learning there. Instant phone calls and cinema trips The fourth phase is 鈥渁ttendance support that every child in the school receives鈥. School-wide attendance is around 96 per cent 鈥 compared to a national average of 91.7 per cent for secondary schools. The school鈥檚 鈥渞obust鈥 attendance policy is 鈥渃ommunicated regularly鈥 to both parents and children. If vulnerable pupils are absent, they are called 鈥渟traight away to ask where they are, what鈥檚 the matter? Can we support and try and get them into school?鈥 Uniform can sometimes be a barrier, says Bartoletti, so some is provided for free. David Graham Pupils hitting 98 per cent attendance are invited on a termly rewards trip, such as a cinema visit or garden party. 鈥淭he students love it,鈥 Bartoletti adds. Pupils are also given pins for their blazers to show they have high attendance, which they 鈥渨ear鈥 with absolute pride鈥. Headteacher David Graham says attendance was 鈥渟ignificantly below average鈥 when he joined a decade ago. The school joined the Chiltern Learning Trust in 2017. 鈥淎lthough it defies national figures, we’re constantly working on getting it even better,鈥 Bartoletti says. 鈥淲e know that the more they’re in school, the better their life chances are going to be.鈥