Trust-Wide Attendance Reporting: The MAT Leaders Guide

For Multi-Academy Trust leaders, attendance is not just a school-level metric — it is a trust-wide accountability measure. With persistent absence rates still elevated post-pandemic, trustees and regional directors need clear, consistent reporting to drive improvement.

This guide outlines best practices for MAT attendance reporting that satisfies governors, informs strategy, and prepares you for Ofsted.

Why Trust-Wide Reporting Matters

Individual schools track attendance daily. But MAT central teams need a different view:

1. Benchmarking — How do schools compare to each other and to national averages?
2. Pattern identification — Are certain pupil groups struggling across multiple schools?
3. Resource allocation — Where should trust-level support be directed?
4. Board assurance — Can trustees demonstrate effective oversight?

Key Metrics to Track

Your trust-wide dashboard should include:

Core Attendance Metrics

1. Overall attendance rate — by school, by phase, trust-wide
2. Persistent absence rate — pupils below 90% attendance
3. Severe absence rate — pupils below 50% attendance
4. Authorised vs unauthorised absence — breakdown by code

Pupil Group Analysis

1. SEND pupils — SEN Support and EHC plan holders
2. Disadvantaged pupils — Pupil Premium, FSM, Looked After Children
3. Vulnerable groups — CP, CIN, Young Carers
4. Ethnicity breakdown — identifying any disproportionality

Trend Analysis

1. Year-on-year comparison — same point last year
2. Half-term trends — is attendance improving or declining?
3. Seasonal patterns — when do dips occur?

RAG Rating for Quick Identification

Trustees and directors need instant clarity. Use RAG (Red-Amber-Green) ratings with clear thresholds:

1. Green — Above 96% (or above national average)
2. Amber — 94-96% (below target but improving)
3. Red — Below 94% (requires intervention)

Apply RAG ratings at school level, pupil group level, and trust level.

Reporting Cadence

Different audiences need different frequencies:

1. Weekly — Operational teams, headteachers (live data)
2. Fortnightly — Regional directors, COO (summary dashboards)
3. Termly — Trustees, board committees (strategic overview)
4. Annually — Full trust comparison, benchmarking against similar MATs

What Ofsted Wants to See

When Ofsted inspects a MAT, they will ask central leaders:

1. How do you monitor attendance across the trust?
2. What action do you take when a school shows declining attendance?
3. How do you support schools with high persistent absence?
4. What impact has your attendance strategy had?

Your reporting systems should enable you to answer these questions with confidence and evidence.

Building Your Reporting System

Options for trust-wide attendance reporting:

1. MIS aggregation — If all schools use the same MIS, centralise data extraction
2. Data platform — Tools like Arbor, Bromcom, or SchoolsBI can aggregate across systems
3. Manual dashboard — Excel or Google Sheets with weekly data input from schools

Whatever your approach, consistency is key. All schools should report using the same definitions, thresholds, and timeframes.

From Data to Action

Reporting is only valuable if it drives improvement. Ensure your trust has:

1. Clear escalation procedures — What happens when a school hits red?
2. Intervention toolkit — What support can central team deploy?
3. Accountability conversations — How are headteachers held to account?
4. Celebration of success — How do you recognise schools that improve?