NEW research commissioned by youth charity OnSide, who run the town’s Youth Zone, has revealed a link between regular youth club attendance and fewer school absences.
The new report carried out by Kings College London – ‘Back to school: Can youth work turn the tide on school absence” – published today by national youth charity OnSide is the first research of its kind, and compared data from more than 12,000 young people who regularly attended one of 14 youth clubs – called Youth Zones – in the OnSide Network, alongside the same number who did not.
Academics found that in 2024, young people who attended a Youth Zone missed almost two days (3.84 sessions) less at school per year, representing a 21% reduction in absenteeism, compared with the rates of absence in the matched group.
The impacts were greatest on children who started attending a Youth Zone between the ages of nine and 11, and among those who were classed as severely absent, meaning they miss more than 50% of school.
When comparing the data from 2012 through to 2024 researchers found that attending a Youth Zone at least once a month led to around one day (1.54 sessions) less unauthorised school absence. Those who attended more frequently were likely to achieve this even quicker.
And despite Youth Zones not being designed to reduce absence, they performed as well or better at getting children back to school than projects which had been specifically created with that goal in mind.
School absence stubbornly remains at a higher level than was recorded before the pandemic. Overall absence in the combined autumn and spring terms in 2024/25 was 6.63%, a fall from the year before but still higher than pre-pandemic levels, when it was below 5%. During the same time period 17.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing more than 10% of lessons, and 2.26% were severely absent, meaning they missed more than 50% of school.
Increasing school attendance is one of the key goals in the government’s Schools White Paper, published on 23 February, which has set a goal of children attending 20 million more days at school by the end of the 2028/29 academic year. OnSide’s research proves that youth club attendance is an important step towards achieving this.
Attending even two more days of school per year can have a profound impact on a child’s education and life chances. Pupils attending 95–100% of the time in Year 6 are 1.3 times more likely to meet expected standards in reading, writing and maths than those attending 90–95%.
The link is even stronger at secondary level: Year 11 pupils with near-perfect attendance have almost double the odds of achieving grade 5 in English and maths GCSEs, while missing just 10 additional days is associated with halving the likelihood of achieving these grades.
Jamie Masraff, OnSide CEO said: “These findings prove for the first time the important role youth centres can play in addressing how to solve the school absence crisis. Youth centres provide young people with a safe consistent environment, tailored support, and a sense of belonging and confidence that can help them to stay engaged with school. Youth workers are at the heart of this impact, building trusted relationships with young people who feel disengaged or overlooked within education, offering consistency, encouragement and practical help at critical moments.
“We see this at play every day across our network of Youth Zones, where young people find safe, welcoming spaces, trusted youth workers, and access to activities that help them build confidence, and develop positive aspirations – support that feels more vital than ever as young people navigate increasing pressures in their lives.
“Tackling school absence will require sustained investment, partnership and long-term thinking. We hope these findings help inform future policy and practice and contribute to a shared ambition: ensuring every young person has the opportunity to engage, belong and succeed.”
Lilly, 17, attends OnSide’s Blackburn Youth Zone. She said: “I didn’t have the support that I needed in school and I started to struggle with depression and anxiety. School began feeling like a prison, and at one point I ended up at home for six months straight.
“When I started coming to the Youth Zone I was terrified, but the youth workers were there for me. They got to know me as an individual, learned what I enjoyed and taught me new ways to cope and work through my problems.
“I hadn’t been around people much and they helped me to make friends and recognise social cues, and that’s what pushed me into going back to school. The youth workers also helped me to feel happy and confident with whatever grades I got.
“If the Youth Zone hadn’t existed, I would still be very isolated and I don’t think I would be attending school. Instead I’m happier, I’ve got more confidence and I love school now.”
Nikki Varley is Head of Youth Work at OnSide’s Wigan Youth Zone. She said:
“There are many barriers to school attendance for young people, and they are often complex and interconnected. Some young people struggle with the structure of school, the pressure of academic expectations, or the requirement to sit still for long periods of time. For others, anxiety, low self-esteem and social challenges can make the school environment overwhelming.
“While the circumstances differ, the most common themes we see are low confidence, difficulties with social skills, anxiety and a lack of resilience.
“Youth Zones offer a safe, supervised environment where young people can build confidence, resilience and healthy relationships in real life, supported by trusted adults.
“And when young people feel more confident, resilient and supported, they are far more able to re-engage with school and attend more regularly.”
OnSide is calling for youth work to be recognised as part of the wider attendance system alongside schools, families and local authorities, and is today urging government to:
· Integrate youth work into national attendance policy and guidance.
· Place greater emphasis on out-of-school enrichment opportunities.
· Establish dedicated programmes to expand access to qualified youth workers in areas with high absence rates.
· Invest more in the evidence base on youth work and education outcomes.
· Provide long-term, sustainable funding for youth provision that complements schools.
To read the full report please visit: www.onsideyouthzones.org/backtoschool
