Back to school: Can youth work help turn the tide on absence?

One of the most urgent challenges facing the education system today is school absence. Absence rates rose sharply after the pandemic and have remained high, with severe and persistent absence becoming entrenched for too many young people. While schools play a central role, absence is rarely driven by a single cause. National conversations increasingly recognise the need for coordinated community‑based solutions that address the wider factors shaping young people’s engagement with education.

Schools and partners regularly tell us that Youth Zones help young people stay engaged in their learning, but until now this impact had not been evidenced. To address this gap, OnSide commissioned King’s College London to evaluate the effect of Youth Zone participation on educational outcomes.

The findings are compelling. Regular Youth Zone attendance is associated with meaningful reductions in school absence, with the strongest improvements seen among severely absent and disadvantaged young people.  This research provides clear evidence that positive, universal youth provision plays a powerful preventative role in supporting attendance and strengthening young people’s connection to education — reinforcing what youth workers see every day. This OnSide report brings those findings to life and explores how youth work can contribute to national and local efforts to tackle absenteeism