What would be true if attendance at this school were healthy?
a walkthrough with stand-ins — a demonstration, not a finding · 16 certified links · outlined boxes are the roots · tap a claim to read it in full
Showing every action the room judged: it acts directly on 2 of the 5 root causes. It does not act directly on 3. It makes 1 worse.
The first contact home after an absence is a question, not a penalty → Families know who to tell when something at home makes school impossible that weekThe first contact home after an absence is a question, not a penalty → Parents who were failed by school themselves are not treated as the problemThe register is a means of noticing, not a means of reporting → The first contact home after an absence is a question, not a penaltyNobody is excluded for something the school could have seen coming → Pupils say the school noticed when they were strugglingNobody is excluded for something the school could have seen coming → Parents who were failed by school themselves are not treated as the problemFamilies know who to tell when something at home makes school impossible that week → it would be predictableThe reasons behind an absence are written down somewhere a tutor will read → A family in difficulty gets help before they get a fineA pupil who has fallen behind can catch up without sitting through what they cannot follow → Every pupil has one adult in the building who would notice they were goneA pupil who has fallen behind can catch up without sitting through what they cannot follow → Returning after a long absence has a way back in that someone has thought aboutGetting to school is not a question of whether the bus turns up → A family in difficulty gets help before they get a fineThe people who chase attendance and the people who arrange support are in the same conversation → A family in difficulty gets help before they get a fineThe school knows which of its pupils are carers, and the timetable bends for them → Nobody is excluded for something the school could have seen comingA year group's attendance can fall without anyone being blamed for it → Families know who to tell when something at home makes school impossible that weekA pupil who misses a week is spoken to before they miss a second → A pupil who has fallen behind can catch up without sitting through what they cannot followThe register is a means of noticing, not a means of reportingThe register is a means ofnoticing, not a means ofreportingwhat the shown actions do to this root causeNO ACTION ACTS ON ITDIRECTLYThe reasons behind an absence are written down somewhere a tutor will readThe reasons behind anabsence are written downsomewhere a tutor will readGetting to school is not a question of whether the bus turns upGetting to school is not aquestion of whether the busturns upThe people who chase attendance and the people who arrange support are in the same conversationThe people who chaseattendance and the peoplewho arrange support are inthe same conversationThe school knows which of its pupils are carers, and the timetable bends for themThe school knows which ofits pupils are carers, andthe timetable bends forthemwhat the shown actions do to this root causeNO ACTION ACTS ON ITDIRECTLYA year group's attendance can fall without anyone being blamed for itA year group's attendancecan fall without anyonebeing blamed for it①what the shown actions do to this root causeREDUCED BY 1 ACTIONA pupil who misses a week is spoken to before they miss a secondA pupil who misses a weekis spoken to before theymiss a secondwhat the shown actions do to this root causeNO ACTION ACTS ON ITDIRECTLY · WORSE BY 1A pupil who has fallen behind can catch up without sitting through what they cannot followA pupil who has fallenbehind can catch up withoutsitting through what theycannot followNobody is excluded for something the school could have seen comingNobody is excluded forsomething the school couldhave seen comingA family in difficulty gets help before they get a fineA family in difficulty getshelp before they get a fineThe first contact home after an absence is a question, not a penaltyThe first contact homeafter an absence is aquestion, not a penalty②what the shown actions do to this root causeREDUCED BY 1 ACTIONEvery pupil has one adult in the building who would notice they were goneEvery pupil has one adultin the building who wouldnotice they were goneReturning after a long absence has a way back in that someone has thought aboutReturning after a longabsence has a way back inthat someone has thoughtaboutPupils say the school noticed when they were strugglingPupils say the schoolnoticed when they werestrugglingFamilies know who to tell when something at home makes school impossible that weekFamilies know who to tellwhen something at homemakes school impossiblethat weekParents who were failed by school themselves are not treated as the problemParents who were failed byschool themselves are nottreated as the problemit would be predictableit would be predictable
WHAT WAS PREDICTED TO FOLLOW
Each number on the map marks a root cause that action reduces.
① Name what would have to be true first makes worse: A pupil who misses a week is spoken to before they miss a second
we expect: more families are reached the same week the absence starts
measured by: % of families reached within a day of an absence
due 23 Jan 2027
guesses: the room: 71 (median of 15, spread 40 to 85)
② Say who would notice if this stopped being true
no prediction about this action yet
A map from True Causes: a group’s judgement, not a measurement.