Guidance for reintegration of pupils after a leave of absence

Preparation and planning are essential for successful reintegration of children into school, as they ensure a structured, supportive approach tailored to each child's needs. This proactive strategy fosters emotional security, academic continuity, and smoother transitions for both pupils and staff. Preparation and planning needs to be done with the pupil and not to them.

Pupil's Voice

Including a pupil's voice in planning empowers them to express their needs and concerns, fostering a sense of ownership and emotional readiness. It also ensures the plan is more personalised, effective, and respectful of the pupil's unique perspective. Consider using the following when gathering the pupil's voice to ensure adults needs or views don't dominate planning:

• Safe and comfortable location: Choose a familiar, quiet, and non-threatening space where the child feels relaxed and secure.  
• Trusted adult presence: Involve someone the child knows and trusts (e.g. a key worker, teacher, or pastoral staff) to facilitate open communication
• Child-Centred Methods: Use age-appropriate tools like drawings, storytelling, or play-based activities to help children express themselves. You could ask the pupil to RAG rate school site map and timetable to highlight areas or times of the day that cause difficulty. Ensure the conversation captures a holistic view of the pupil's experience of school inclusive of relationships with peers and staff
• Interpretation Services: If a child has EAL they may only be able to express themselves fully if interpretation services are used (a face-to-face interpreter or telephone interpretation using Language Line) These services are available through INTRAN for all schools and academies.  Check which language the child speaks most confidently, as it may not be the one you assume and, do take this measure even if the child appears to speak English relatively well. This is vital in preventing any misunderstandings or miscommunications, especially in relation to Safeguarding and ensures that you are fulfilling your duties to the child under the Equalities Act
• Timing Matters: Ensure the child is not tired, hungry, or stressed- choose a time when they are most receptive and calm
• Respect and patience: Allow the child time to think and respond without pressure; avoid rushing or leading their answers
• Confidence and clarity: Be clear about how their input will be used and reassure them that their voice matters
• Follow-up: Show how their views have influenced the plan to reinforce trust and encourage future participation.

For practical tools and inspiration to support child-centred approaches, we recommend:

• One-Page Profiles - Norfolk County Council: A simple and effective way to capture a child's strengths, needs, and preferences in their own voice. These profiles can help shape personalised support and build stronger relationships.
• Gaining pupil voice: Guidance and resources to help schools actively listen to and incorporate pupil perspectives into planning and decision-making.

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) have created a Supporting School Attendance - Reflection and Planning Tool that you may find beneficial to support your planning around reintegration.

Develop a Transition Plan

Create a personalised transition plan in collaboration with the pupil, parents/carers, and relevant staff to support a successful reintegration. For parents/carers with EAL, make use of interpretation services via INTRAN, even if one of or both of them speaks relatively good English. This ensures both parents/carers are involved in the conversations and avoids any misunderstanding. Do avoid using the child, family members or other pupil's parents to translate.  This plan should outline the steps and support needed for reintegration.

• This may include push and pull tool/mapping tools
• Make sure all targets are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely (SMART) and commit to regular review points around agreed support
• Agree reasonable adjustments that are responsive to pupils identified needs, ensure these are broken down into manageable increments and agree how these will be implemented (including time frame) so that they are responsive to pupil need
• Identify gaps in learning to inform academic support required when in school.  Look to co-create a one-page profile (with the young person) and consider how to share this and what support there will be if the profile needs are not met
• Ensure the transition plan is inclusive of all existing plans relevant to the pupil. For example, behaviour support plans, EHC plans, CIN plans etc
• Relational support: To establish trusted relationships between home and school as well as between the pupil and staff/peers etc. Explore how best to monitor plans and how to agree adaptations when needed. This may include agreed touch points throughout the school day with key adults
• Agree who the plan is shared with and who will share the plan with the pupil if they have not been present for the entirety of the meeting.

Pre-Visit Arrangements

Arrange for the pupil to visit the school before their official return.  This visit can help familiarize them with the environment and reduce anxiety.

• You may wish to consider the use of visuals, photos, videos and site maps. Widget and Twinkl can be used to produce visuals with translated captions. Opportunities to attend when school does not have other pupils present or at different points of the day to re-familiarise the pupil with the school environment
• Consider who will facilitate these visits and accompany the pupil e.g. teacher, friend, etc
• Include the use of a graded exposure approach. This is when you identify the needs provoking stimulus e.g. engaging in work in a classroom and make small steps to reach that goal whilst integrating relaxation/coping strategies.