How schools are improving behaviour and attendance in England

Under the initiative, the Department for Education (DfE) has named 12 hub schools across the south-east of England and Dorset that will help other schools facing serious challenges. The list includes Worthing High School in Sussex.

According to headteacher Adrian Cook, the aim is not to instruct other schools on what to do, but to collaborate and share effective practices. The DfE said schools requiring intensive support will receive one-to-one sessions. As part of the programme, leaders and staff from hub schools will visit targeted schools, while representatives from those schools will also visit the hubs to observe successful methods in action.

Findings from a previous Behaviour Hub programme showed that schools which strengthened reward systems for positive conduct achieved faster improvements. In other words, encouragement has proven more effective than punishment.

At Worthing High School, a “three-strike” system is applied when students break rules, followed by time set aside for reflection. One student, Bryce, admitted he had previously been known for disruptive behaviour. He said that once he realised good behaviour created more opportunities for him, his attitude changed and he began receiving more praise.

Which schools will serve as hubs?

The following schools in the south-east are among 93 attendance and behaviour hubs across England:

Chilton Primary School in Didcot, Oxfordshire; The Langley Academy in Slough, Berkshire; St Edmund’s Catholic School in Portsmouth, Hampshire; Glenmoor Academy and the Avonbourne Academies in Bournemouth, Dorset.

Lord Grey Academy in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire; and three schools in Kent — The Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard in Ebbsfleet, The Leigh Academy Rainham, and Maundene School in Chatham.

In Sussex, Seymour Primary School in Crawley and Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy in St Leonards-on-Sea join Worthing High School as hub schools.

Tackling persistent absence

Data show that around 18% of pupils were persistently absent during the 2024–25 academic year — still higher than the pre-pandemic level of approximately 11%.

Concerns over “high levels of lost learning” have prompted the government to advise schools to keep suspended pupils on site where possible. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said time spent at home can too easily lead children to retreat into social media, gaming and the online world.

At Worthing High School, Adrian Cook emphasised the importance of adapting the curriculum to keep struggling students engaged. He said creative initiatives such as Forest School — which offers outdoor-based learning — allow students to develop in a different environment and recognise their strengths, increasing their motivation to attend school.

A student named Angela said she “loved” outdoor lessons. She explained that while some of her peers achieve top grades such as eights and nines in traditional academic settings, she struggles to achieve threes. According to Angela, Forest School provides a calmer environment where she can forget about academic pressure and focus on learning in a relaxed way.

Hub schools also recommend identifying attendance issues early, focusing on individual students and maintaining regular communication with parents and carers.

Critics argue that there are too few expert hubs and that the programme is too heavily focused on mainstream schools.

However, Pan Panayiotou, DfE RISE adviser and chief executive of South Downs Education Trust, said the programme would provide significant benefits to 500 “challenged” schools receiving intensive, targeted support. He noted that participating schools would work together over the course of a year, with reciprocal visits, the creation of action plans and sustained guidance throughout the development process.

Panayiotou added that similar programmes in the past had made a real difference. With school budgets currently tight, he said the only cost to targeted schools would be the time commitment involved.

This article is based on reporting by the BBC.