The Christmas Jumper story; what have we learned?

In 2019, a seemingly harmless Christmas tradition revealed something far more serious about school attendance. When a group of schools shared their day-by-day attendance data, an unexpected dip appeared across several sites on the same December day: Christmas Jumper Day. In this reflective piece, Duncan Baldwin looks back at how that discovery challenged assumptions about “fun” school activities, highlighted the unseen pressures faced by some pupils, and demonstrated the power of collaboration and shared data. From machine learning insights to questions about accountability, this is a story about marginal gains, unintended consequences, and why improving attendance is often about the small things schools choose to do – or not do – every day.

Insight, data, and discussion for education professionals working to improve school attendance.

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