New research reveals positive link between enrichment and tackling the school attendance crisis

NEWS Tuesday 18 February 2025

A new report commissioned by NCS Trust and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and undertaken by the Centre for Young Lives, shows how enrichment activities like sports, arts clubs, volunteering, social action and adventures away from home can encourage children and young people at risk of missing school to attend.
The report calls for the introduction of an enrichment guarantee, with a minimum of at least 80 hours enrichment across the academic year, an enrichment premium to create a long-term funding stream for enrichment and argues for the extension of enrichment partnership pilots to schools with high rates of absence.

‘Beyond the classroom: the role of enrichment in tackling the school absence crisis’ has been commissioned by NCS Trust (National Citizen Service) and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Published by the Centre for Young Lives today, the groundbreaking new research reveals a positive correlation between participation in enrichment activities and increased school attendance. The study, conducted by the Centre for Young Lives, Leeds Beckett University, and YMCA George Williams College, examined the role of sports, arts clubs, volunteering, social action, and other out-of-classroom experiences in tackling the ongoing school absence crisis.

The report provides examples of how enrichment can reach some of the most marginalised children with poor school attendance, some of whom are less likely to respond to other methods of engagement. While the evidence-base on links between education and enrichment needs further investment, the report’s case studies show the correlations between enrichment and attendance, with children and young people with higher attendance telling our researchers they are more likely to be attending school because of enrichment activities.

The research was commissioned by NCS Trust and the DofE and highlights the potential of enrichment activities to boost student engagement and improve attendance. It was conducted in response to the growing concern about school absenteeism, which has risen dramatically in recent years.

Over the last decade, there has been a decline in young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in school, and children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds have been particularly adversely affected. At the same time, the pandemic has contributed to a crisis in school attendance with up to 300,000 children and young people missing from education entirely in England, a 40% increase from 2017.

‘Beyond the classroom: the role of enrichment in tackling the school absence crisis’ reveals:

For some children and young people, there is a direct link between enrichment and attendance, with schools and providers consistently describing young people who go to school precisely because of the existence of an enrichment offer.
Some schools are already using enrichment activities to promote attendance, either through setting the expectation that good attendance will be rewarded with enrichment activities, providing points for enrichment, or holding enrichment activities on days when attendance is expected to be lower.
The links between enrichment and attendance are likely to be compounded for children and young people in poverty, as they are more likely to be absent from school and less likely to have access to enrichment activities. There is a well-evidenced strong association between poverty and school absence, and research also shows that children and young people in poverty are adversely affected by a lack of access to enrichment activities. Schools and enrichment providers told us that enrichment is likely to be particularly effective at boosting attendance among children and young people in poverty.

The research also shows how enrichment can help to build positive relationships between pupils and teachers, and can be associated with a wealth of positive outcomes, including lower exclusions and better school behaviour.

The report makes recommendations to widen access to high-quality enrichment and harness enrichment’s power in tackling school absence. These recommendations have been developed on the basis of research and sector consultation by NCS Trust and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award but this does not mean they are endorsed by the Government.

The report suggests the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport could work in partnership to explore the following ideas:

● Introduce an enrichment guarantee (a minimum of at least 80 hours across the academic year) to enable equity of access to high quality provision for all young people.

● Introduce an enrichment premium to create a long-term funding stream for enrichment.

● Extending enrichment partnership pilots – which are already having a demonstrable impact on attendance in some schools – to additional schools with high rates of absence. The evaluation of these pilots should also look specifically at attendance.

● Develop a framework for enrichment provision to provide schools and colleges with standardised benchmarks of best practice on enrichment and personal development provision. This framework should help schools understand how to use enrichment in attendance strategies, how to embed youth voice, and best practice in the use of enrichment as an incentive. Guidance should also be given on teachers’ involvement in enrichment and inclusive enrichment for children and young people with SEND and children facing disadvantage.

● Update school attendance guidance to ensure it provides guidance on the use of enrichment to promote attendance.

● Commission further research and equip schools and enrichment providers to evidence the link between enrichment and attendance.

● Establish a dedicated grant to enable schools and local agencies to provide free and affordable enrichment activities for young people living in poverty.

● Local authorities should lead strategies to use enrichment to support and engage young people with persistent and severe absence and ensure funding from the local government public health grant is ring fenced for enrichment and play.

● Schools should ensure their enrichment and attendance leads work together closely, establish strong links with enrichment providers in their local communities, and ensure teachers participate in enrichment.

Baroness Anne Longfield, Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said:

“The dramatic rise in the number of children missing school over the last five years has enormous consequences for their own learning, development, wellbeing, safety, and attainment, but also much wider implications for our economy and society.

“We need to be more creative about how to encourage the many children missing school to attend. As this report shows, all children can benefit from an ambitious range of enrichment opportunities in and around school, but for those with special educational needs, disadvantaged children, and those with challenges at home it is particularly important. For those children who may find attending school more difficult than their peers, it can be transformational.

“Enrichment can offer new and exciting skills, bring opportunities that many children and young people would not experience otherwise, boost mental and physical health, and even protect some vulnerable from harm. Some children who may otherwise not go to school, can be encouraged to attend by the offer of enrichment activities.

“This report makes a powerful case for a renewed focus on enrichment offers, including through an enrichment premium, not only as a policy tool for boosting attendance, but for developing a more inclusive education system that benefits every child.”

Hannah Stoddart, Executive Director of Strategy and Insight at NCS Trust, said:

“I am so pleased that NCS was able to fund this important research. This report confirms what we've seen first-hand at NCS: enrichment activities can transform young people's lives. They provide a sense of purpose, build confidence, and foster new connections. By expanding access to enrichment, we can help more young people succeed in school and in life.

“The school absence crisis is a serious issue, but it's not insurmountable. Enrichment activities offer significant potential to boost attendance and engagement with school. This report provides some important insights on how to make enrichment a core part of every young person's education, and in doing so drive multiple positive outcomes for pupils.”

Ruth Marvel OBE, CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said:

“Enrichment activities are a crucial part of a quality education for all young people - helping them to develop essential skills for life and work, explore their individual interests and talents, and build meaningful relationships with trusted adults and peers. This important research shows that the benefits of enrichment also go further, helping to boost school attendance and student engagement, especially for more disadvantaged students.

“As the Government grapples with a school attendance crisis and skyrocketing numbers of young people not in education, employment or training, this research offers practical, common-sense solutions. Guaranteeing all young people access to high-quality enrichment activities in school will not only boost well-being and improve skills, but it will also create an educational environment where every child feels like they belong.”

Jannat, a member of the project’s Youth Advisory Panel, said:

“After being part of this project, I’m even more convinced that enrichment plays a huge role in attendance. If school is just about sitting in a classroom all day, it’s easy to feel disconnected. But if there’s something fun, something that excites you—whether it’s a sports team, a drama club, or even a Further Maths club—it makes showing up so much easier.
“Some schools are already using enrichment to encourage attendance, and I think more should do the same.”

Click here to view the report.

ENDS

For more info contact Jo Green (Centre for Young Lives) on jo.green@centreforyounglives.org or 07715105415.