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Attendance & belonging
Core knowledge, routines, relationships, health, help-seeking and learner agency.
Best forWhole-school PSHE/PSE, tutor and pastoral curriculum.
PREMIUM • CURRICULUM • BELONGING • ATTENDANCE
Attendance Curriculum Architect
Build an age-appropriate taught attendance curriculum for ages 7–18. Create a complete scheme of work, individual lessons, student resources and assessments — then export what you need for staff to teach.
KS2 • ages 7–11Upper primary / junior yearsScotland: broadly P3–P7; First → Second Level
KS3 • ages 11–14Early secondaryScotland: broadly P7/S1–S3; Second → Third/Fourth
KS4 • ages 14–16Qualification yearsScotland: broadly S3–S5; transition into Senior Phase
KS5 • ages 16–18Sixth form / collegeScotland: broadly S5–S6 / college; Senior Phase
Premium curriculum architecture
Build it four ways — or combine all four.
The strongest curriculum does more than explain attendance. It deliberately builds belonging, citizenship, transition readiness and sustained participation.
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British Values lens
Optional England-specific mapping across democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.
Use intelligentlyMap values to voice, fairness, choice, belonging and respectful participation — not slogans.
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Transition curriculum
Ready-made sequences for primary→secondary, secondary→post-16 and post-16→next destination.
Transition principleKnow the learner, transfer support, rehearse routines, build belonging before the move, review after arrival.
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NEET prevention
Build destination clarity, participation habits, course-fit conversations, barrier planning and a Plan A / Plan B / Plan C.
OutcomeFewer young people reach the end of Year 11 / S4–S5 without a known, supported next step.
Interactive premium builder
Build the curriculum your learners need.
Choose the stage, delivery model and priorities. The Architect creates a sequenced curriculum with progression rather than disconnected one-off lessons.
Scheme of work
Your generated curriculum will appear here.
Choose your settings and click Build my attendance curriculum.
Individual lesson studio
Select any lesson from your generated sequence and create the teaching plan.
Generate a curriculum to unlock individual lesson planning.
Student resource generator
Creates a printable student-facing activity aligned to the selected lesson.
Generate a curriculum and choose an individual lesson.
Assessment & evidence
Knowledge, application, self-reflection and an answer key — without turning attendance into a compliance test.
Generate a curriculum to create an assessment matched to the stage.
Transition & NEET-prevention plan
Creates an implementation pathway from curriculum learning into destination certainty and sustained participation.
Generate a curriculum to create the transition and participation plan.
7–18 progression model
One curriculum idea. Four increasingly mature conversations.
The content becomes more sophisticated with age: from routines and trusted adults, through identity and barriers, to qualification pressure, independence, retention and future destinations.
KS2
Ages 7–11
- Belonging and safety
- Healthy routines and sleep
- Friendship and trusted adults
- Simple attendance understanding
- Asking for help early
KS3
Ages 11–14
- Identity and belonging
- Habits, digital life and sleep
- Anxiety and avoidance
- School-day friction
- Support networks and self-efficacy
KS4
Ages 14–16
- Attendance and future opportunity
- Exam pressure and recovery
- Reasonable support and self-advocacy
- Purpose, qualifications and pathways
- Personal attendance strategy
KS5
Ages 16–18
- Independence and professional habits
- Study periods and self-management
- Retention, course fit and destination
- Health, finance, transport and caring barriers
- Adult help-seeking and self-advocacy
Optional England-specific SMSC lens
British Values — mapped through real attendance learning.
Rather than adding a token “British Values” slide, the Architect can map each lesson to the value it genuinely develops. Outside England, switch this lens off and retain the age-based attendance, citizenship and wellbeing curriculum.
DemocracyLearner voice, participation, listening, influence and co-production.
Rule of lawFair expectations, rights and responsibilities, proportionate systems and safe processes.
Individual libertyInformed choice, agency, self-advocacy, help-seeking and future options.
Mutual respectBelonging, relationships, dignity, repair and recognition of different barriers.
Tolerance of different faiths & beliefsInclusion, respectful curiosity and making attendance/access workable for diverse communities.
Transition-ready curriculum
The weeks around transition are part of attendance strategy.
The curriculum can insert dedicated transition sessions, but leaders should also use the generated plan to connect pastoral information, trusted adults, routines, travel, course fit and support across settings.
Primary → secondary • ages 10–12
A belonging-led bridge from familiar primary routines into the complexity of secondary school.
- What changes — and what stays the same
- Travel, timetable, equipment and movement
- Friendship and social belonging
- Finding trusted adults in a bigger setting
- How to ask for help before absence grows
- First six weeks: review belonging, routines and attendance
Secondary → post-16 • ages 15–17
A participation and destination bridge designed explicitly to reduce the risk of disengagement and NEET.
- Choose a destination that fits the learner
- Understand sixth-form, college and apprenticeship expectations
- Plan travel, finance, caring, health and timetable barriers
- Build a named support handover
- Confirm Plan A, Plan B and Plan C before leaving
- Check actual participation after the move — not simply whether an offer existed
Participation & destination protection
A curriculum contribution to reducing NEET.
Do not wait until a young person has disappeared from education.
The Architect treats NEET prevention as a progression issue: strengthen belonging and future orientation early; identify barriers before transition; make destinations concrete; create fallback routes; and ensure someone checks that the young person actually arrives, participates and remains connected.
Ages 11–14Belonging, strengths, horizons and trusted-adult networks.
Ages 14–15Pathway literacy, motivation, barrier identification and realistic options.
Ages 15–16Applications, travel/finance/health planning, Plan A/B/C and named handover.
Ages 16–17Participation habits, early course-fit review and rapid response to disengagement.
Ages 17–18Sustained destination, progression, professional habits and next-transition planning.
Important: a taught curriculum alone cannot prevent NEET. It should sit alongside careers guidance, destination tracking, SEND/ALN transition planning, family support, safeguarding, attendance casework and local-authority participation duties.
Cross-nation design
Built around age as well as English Key Stage labels.
Scotland-friendly by design
The Key Stage labels are included because many Portal users work in England, but the age range is always shown. In Scotland, use the age and learner-development pathway first.
Curriculum for Excellence is intentionally flexible: learners may progress earlier or later than the typical stage. The Architect therefore uses an indicative rather than rigid CfE alignment.
Indicative CfE referenceAges 7–11: upper primary, spanning First/Second Level.
Ages 11–14: transition from late primary into S1–S3, spanning Second/Third/Fourth.
Ages 14–16: S3–S5, moving into Senior Phase.
Ages 16–18: S5–S6 / college, Senior Phase.
Adapt to the actual learner and local curriculum plan.
Ages 11–14: transition from late primary into S1–S3, spanning Second/Third/Fourth.
Ages 14–16: S3–S5, moving into Senior Phase.
Ages 16–18: S5–S6 / college, Senior Phase.
Adapt to the actual learner and local curriculum plan.
Integrated premium resource library
The curriculum is connected to the rest of the Portal.
These are real bundled Portal resources, live Portal tools and official source material. No blank links are used in this library.
BUNDLED PORTAL PDF
Attendance Champion Toolkit
Leadership, tutor practice, relationships, early intervention, recognition, casework and weekly routines.
Open toolkit ↗BUNDLED 36-LESSON PROGRAMME
Who Am I? Year 10 Belonging Programme
A full-year 36-lesson PSHE/tutor programme on identity, belonging, relationships, wellbeing, purpose and attendance.
Open 36-lesson programme ↗BUNDLED EDITABLE WORD PACK
Attendance Adventure
Years 7–10 game/resource pack with challenge cards, support cards, routines, belonging, reflection and tutor prompts.
Download editable pack ↓LIVE PORTAL HUB
Primary & Secondary School Hub
Tools, templates, training and strategy resources for school staff and leaders.
Open School Hub ↗LIVE PORTAL HUB
MAT, Trust & Governance Hub
Trust-wide assurance, governance, comparative intelligence and school-improvement resources.
Open Leadership Hub ↗LIVE PORTAL HUB
FE & Post-16 Hub
Attendance, participation, engagement, retention, transition and learner-support resources.
Open FE/Post-16 Hub ↗LIVE PORTAL TOOL
Attendance Barrier Identifier
Move from the attendance symptom to the underlying barrier before choosing support.
Open tool ↗LIVE PORTAL TOOL
Six-Week Attendance Support Plan
Turn assessment into a time-limited plan with actions, owners and review points.
Open tool ↗LIVE PORTAL TOOL
Vulnerable Pupil Attendance Checker
Bring SEND, safeguarding, disadvantage and other vulnerabilities into attendance review.
Open checker ↗LIVE PORTAL TOOL
Attendance Case Conference Generator
Build an evidence-led record with chronology, voice, actions, agency roles and review.
Open case conference ↗LIVE PORTAL TOOL
Attendance Conversation Coach
Support respectful, evidence-led conversations with families and young people.
Open coach ↗LIVE PORTAL TOOL
Intervention Impact Engine
Test whether attendance interventions are producing meaningful change.
Open impact engine ↗OFFICIAL • ENGLAND
Working Together to Improve School Attendance
DfE statutory guidance on roles, support, barriers and attendance practice.
Open GOV.UK ↗OFFICIAL • ENGLAND
RISE Attendance Improvement
Current DfE improvement tools, communication resources, data and support materials.
Open RISE resources ↗CHILDREN'S COMMISSIONER
Attendance assemblies & activity packs
Primary/secondary assembly resources and transition materials focused on school opportunity and barriers.
Open resources ↗OFFICIAL • ENGLAND • SMSC
Promoting Fundamental British Values
DfE advice on democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.
Open DfE guidance ↗OFFICIAL • PARTICIPATION
Participation of young people in education, employment or training
Statutory guidance for local authorities on participation, vulnerable young people and NEET.
Open statutory guidance ↗2026 DATA • NEET / PARTICIPATION
16–17 participation and NEET by local authority
Latest July 2026 management information, including SEND and comparative NEET scorecards.
Open 2026 data ↗Quality principles
Teaching attendance without teaching compliance.
A strong attendance curriculum should help pupils understand, reflect and seek support. It should never make vulnerable pupils feel publicly judged for barriers they may not control.
Belonging first
- Teach connection, safety and trusted relationships.
- Celebrate engagement and improvement, not only perfect attendance.
Barrier-aware
- Distinguish choice, circumstance, health and unmet need.
- Teach practical problem-solving rather than blame.
Voice & agency
- Give learners language to explain what is hard.
- Teach how to ask for help and advocate for support.
Evidence of learning
- Use scenarios, reflection, retrieval and application.
- Assess understanding — never a child's worthiness to attend.