Future opportunity

Attendance Mentors Pilot Expansion

  • Department for Education

F01: Prior information notice (prior information only)

Notice reference: 2023/S 000-034747

Published 23 November 2023, 6:25pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

Department for Education

Sanctuary Buildings, 20, Great Smith Street

London

SW1P 3BT

Email

Sherie.BRAISBY@education.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education

one.3) Communication

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Ministry or any other national or federal authority

one.5) Main activity

General public services


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

Attendance Mentors Pilot Expansion

Reference number

8757

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 80532000 - Management training services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

This PIN is for market engagement only. It does not signify the commencement of any procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education. If the Department for Education decides to commence any procurement process as contemplated by this notice, a separate notice will be published at the relevant time. The requirements and values set out below may be subject to change. Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, wellbeing, and long-term development. Improving attendance is priority. Support for pupils who are persistently absent was also the subject of a recent education select committee enquiry: Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils - Committees - UK Parliament. The department is currently piloting a 3-year intensive mentoring programme in 5 priority education investment areas (PEIAs), delivering attendance mentoring support for pupil in areas with high levels of persistent absence. We are now looking into options to expand this pilot programme into more PEIAs. We are looking for a contractor that would recruit and train mentors to provide targeted 1 – 1 support for an identified pupil or their family to overcome barriers to attendance. This relationship would need to be responsive to the individuals needs, with the ultimate goal of specific pupil barriers and improving attendance. Mentors work intensively with pupils to support excellent attendance. We would be looking for a possibility to deliver an attendance support offer, initially for one year with the intention to extend to three years (total). The pilot would work in around ten identified priority education investment areas (PEIAs). We expect around 3,600 pupils to be supported by mentors each year. More information on PEIAs can be found here.  We would need a supplier to support vulnerable children and families in each of the identified PEIAs to improve attendance. Through this work we aim to enhance capacity for early help/intervention, by working with pupils who are persistently (missing with <10% attendance) and severely absent (missing with <50% attendance).  The successful contractor would be expected to train mentors to be able to support pupils and families on a one-to-one basis with the intention of understanding barriers to the pupils attendance and supporting the pupil and family to resolve this. This support should be responsive to the individuals needs and may be delivered in the school, or in the pupil’s home. Depending on the pupil need, trained practitioners may also be expected to work with external local agencies to ensure all support to a particular family or pupil is aligned and drives towards overcoming attendance barriers. Mentor work could also involve working closely with families to support better engagement in education. The successful contractor will also need to work with evaluators to evidence the impact of the support throughout the project lifecycle. 

SSQ460

two.1.5) Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: £15,000,000

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 80532000 - Management training services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

This PIN is for market engagement only. It does not signify the commencement of any procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education. If the Department for Education decides to commence any procurement process as contemplated by this notice, a separate notice will be published at the relevant time. The requirements and values set out below may be subject to change. Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, wellbeing, and long-term development. Improving attendance is priority. Support for pupils who are persistently absent was also the subject of a recent education select committee enquiry: Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils - Committees - UK Parliament. The department is currently piloting a 3-year intensive mentoring programme in 5 priority education investment areas (PEIAs), delivering attendance mentoring support for pupil in areas with high levels of persistent absence. We are now looking into options to expand this pilot programme into more PEIAs. We are looking for a contractor that would recruit and train mentors to provide targeted 1 – 1 support for an identified pupil or their family to overcome barriers to attendance. This relationship would need to be responsive to the individuals needs, with the ultimate goal of specific pupil barriers and improving attendance. Mentors work intensively with pupils to support excellent attendance. We would be looking for a possibility to deliver an attendance support offer, initially for one year with the intention to extend to three years (total). The pilot would work in around ten identified priority education investment areas (PEIAs). We expect around 3,600 pupils to be supported by mentors each year. More information on PEIAs can be found here.  We would need a supplier to support vulnerable children and families in each of the identified PEIAs to improve attendance. Through this work we aim to enhance capacity for early help/intervention, by working with pupils who are persistently (missing with <10% attendance) and severely absent (missing with <50% attendance).  The successful contractor would be expected to train mentors to be able to support pupils and families on a one-to-one basis with the intention of understanding barriers to the pupils attendance and supporting the pupil and family to resolve this. This support should be responsive to the individuals needs and may be delivered in the school, or in the pupil’s home. Depending on the pupil need, trained practitioners may also be expected to work with external local agencies to ensure all support to a particular family or pupil is aligned and drives towards overcoming attendance barriers. Mentor work could also involve working closely with families to support better engagement in education. The successful contractor will also need to work with evaluators to evidence the impact of the support throughout the project lifecycle. 

two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice

23 November 2023


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes