Inspire Partnership’s Maundene Primary School in Chatham, Medway has been appointed a national Attendance and Behaviour Hub. 

The Department for Education has now named all 93 schools that will be Attendance and Behaviour Hubs to support schools that have significant issues in these two areas. 

Maundene Primary School is the only primary school in Medway to be given the responsibility.  

As the Department for Education has said, the hubs will “...draw on best practice to improve attendance and tackle the root causes of poor behaviour before problems escalate.”

They add, “These hubs will support other schools to identify absence early, build positive cultures, engage parents, and establish strong routines.”

Maundene Primary school takes a systematically rigorous approach which has successfully counter-balanced the impact of changing demographics in Chatham over recent years, including a significantly increased level of disadvantage in the local community.

The school’s approach includes regular proactive monitoring to intervene early and prevent attendance dips or behavioural escalations, as well as taking a whole-school approach that emphasises the need for strong relationships and a positive culture.

As Joanne Capes, Headteacher at Maundene Primary School, says, “It starts with building an authentic true sense of belonging for our pupils. 

“From welcoming a child back after absence with a ‘we have missed you’ to a  more supportive approach with parents, who might be struggling to get their child to school for any number of reasons, my colleagues and I know what measures make the difference. 

“We want to help other schools that are struggling with the issues of attendance and behaviour to design effective processes and build a similarly successful culture.”

Maundene Primary School is the second of Inspire Partnership’s ten schools to be recognised for their excellence in managing attendance and behaviour. Inspire Partnership’s Forest Academy in Croydon was appointed an Attendance and Behaviour Hub in September 2025.

Melissa Carpenter, Deputy Chief Executive at Inspire Partnership, said, “Attendance is a core priority across the Inspire Partnership and Maundene’s designation as a national Attendance and Behaviour Hub reflects the strength of our collective work in this area. 

“As a Trust, our mission is to transform lives through partnership and our schools work collaboratively to continuously improve practice, systems and processes. 

“With Forest Academy, one of our Croydon schools, already recognised nationally for its work in attendance and behaviour, Maundene benefits from being part of a strong, connected network where proven approaches are shared and we are delighted that the school now has the opportunity to share these approaches with local schools and beyond.”