Improve school attendance with AV1 Robots

Working together to reduce school absence

Attendance matters. Every child deserves a place in class, so when mental health or medical conditions lead to absence, particularly long-term absence, AV1 telepresence robots give children a physical presence in the classroom. AV1 allows students to learn from their teacher, alongside their classmates.

Students are being taught by the teacher along with AV1 sitting in the centre

Teachers and students love AV1!

“The AV1 really helped Gabby feel like a part of the class again after so long away. Her classmates loved it too, I think it took away some of the fear for them of what she was going through.”

Parent whose child was given an AV1 by Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust

June 2024

Children from Pitmaston Primary school, sitting on the floor, one child is holding an AV1 Robot

"For any pupil that is away from school for that long there must be that worry about falling far behind. In many ways that can compound any physical illness because that’s affecting your wellbeing. I think the AV1 has reduced that feeling of anxiety both socially and academically."

Ladybridge High School, who loaned an AV1 Robot from Bolton Council

April 2024

Students from Ladybridge High School, one is sitting on a desk at the front holding his AV1 Robot

"With the AV1 she’s in the same class group, can log on at break time and still feel part of the school community... It was as if she’s not even been away because she still feels part of the group."

Fox Wood Special School, who loaned an AV1 from Warrington Council

May 2023

A student playing with an AV1 Robot on a desk. She's wearing school uniform and is in a classroom.

Councils love AV1!

“AV1 has the ability to keep students connected to their peers and access their full timetable of education if they are well enough.”

Ashley White, Head of Education Support for Medical Absence, Hertfordshire County Council

March 2024

"AV1 doesn’t have to only be used for education, but widens the opportunity to make the child feel part of the school community"

Julie Keating, Education Access Manager, Essex County Council

March 2020

"AV1 is a very useful tool to use with children who want to stay connected to their school… and is good value for money."

Karl Hobson, Head of Attendance and Inclusion, Staffordshire County Council

Dec 2023

AV1 has helped 10,000 children across 17 countries to bring the virtual version of themselves to school.

'AV Howard': pupil in Twickenham tells BBC London about his experience with AV1

Still image from the video telling the story of AV Howard

Howard, a south-west London pupil with cancer is being helped to keep up with school lessons by sending “AV Howard” in his place.

Howard's school attendance had dropped below 50% after he started intensive weekly chemotherapy in January, following his diagnosis of a rare kind of arm cancer in December. But since then, he has been able to attend lessons from home or hospital using his AV1.

Howard shared his story on BBC London, BBC Breakfast and BBC News at One in July 2024. Read more here.

Back to school for all

Anxiety around school attendance, or complex and chronic medical needs, may prevent regular in-person lessons. With high demand on services, rising cases of school refusal and budget constraints, it can be challenging to provide adequate resources for absent students.

AV1 has delivered a positive impact on attendance in over 60 local authorities, and over 1,000 academies and schools.

School attendance not only helps to increase attainment, but importantly it also supports mental health and wellbeing for children [Fletcher et. al, link to report].

Our specially designed classroom robot for kids, AV1 is safe and secure and many fit it within the attendance policy in schools. This easy-to-use education technology provides the connection between home and school to ensure that children who might otherwise miss out on vital education and support can access learning, their teacher and their classmates. AV1 is designed to help children continue to feel part of their school community, maintaining crucial social connections and belonging during long-term absence.

How does AV1 work?

Watch our video to find out how AV1 Robots help pupils access their own lessons from another location

Illustrations of two students in a classroom interacting with an AV1 robot

What are the advantages and cost savings experienced by local authorities, academies and schools using AV1 to improve attendance?

‍AV1 costs significantly less than tutoring, and schools and local authorities have experienced significant costs savings using AV1 as the attendance education solution that supports school attendance strategy.

Read our case study below to find out how AV1 is increasing pupil attendance in schools.

Improving school attendance results in Southend-on-Sea

AV1 school robots on the beach in Southend

Southend-on-Sea City Council uses AV1 to support long term absent students (as well as students struggling to get into the classroom) for both medical and mental health needs. Growing from 15 AV1s in 2020 to 50 today, the Southend-on-Sea City Council keeps absence rates consistently low.

A recent article on Southend’s fleet reported that: “The 2021/22 academic year saw 46 students use the AV1s to access education. Twelve of those students have now fully re-joined full-time education at their school, and many are still in use as part of their reintegration plan.”

The financial impact is also huge, as reported in Schools Week: "Southend-on-Sea said the annual running cost for 50 AV1s was £23,000 – compared with £850,000 for a one-to-one tutor for 50 pupils." 