PIAS and attendance update
20 September 2024
Update regarding the PIAS service and new attendance statutory guidance.
As you will be aware, the working together to improve school attendance guidance became statutory on Monday 19 August. Whilst the guidance remains broadly similar, it continues to shine a spotlight on ‘support first’ and recognises that attendance is ‘everyone’s business.’ A summary of the changes and updated resources can be found on Kelsi.
To align the PIAS service to the new guidance, the service has been renamed to Kent PRU and Attendance Service (KPAS). There have also been a number of job title changes as highlighted in the table below:
| Old | New |
|---|---|
| PRU, Inclusion and Attendance Service (PIAS) | Kent PRU and Attendance Service (KPAS) |
| Area Education Lead | KPAS Area Manager |
| Inclusion and Attendance Officer | KPAS Exclusion Intervention Adviser |
| School Liaison Officer | KPAS Attendance Officer |
| Attendance Enforcement Team | KPAS Courts Team |
One significant change in the new attendance guidance is the requirement for schools to make attendance and sickness returns to the local authority, this also ensures schools comply with the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024. To complete these returns, please use pathway 3 on the KPAS digital front door.
Following the introduction of the National Framework for issuing penalty notices, the form for schools to request a penalty notice is currently being aligned to the new framework and will be live within the next two weeks.
There has also been a change in the management personnel of the KPAS team. After 27 years of service, Mel Higgins has recently retired from her role at KCC, so the new structure for the KPAS Area Managers (previously known as Area Education Lead) are:
- North - Maxine Gamage
- East - Dave Boyd
- South - Lee Kennedy
- West - Cathy Edwards (Monday to Wednesday) and Danielle Jenken (Thursday to Friday).