Attendance

The latest news and professional advice on school attendance, including analysis of attendance data and shared practice on tackling pupil absence and internal truancy

Tuesday

18th Feb 2025

Enrichment activities key to boosting attendance, think tank says
Report calls for government to introduce an ‘enrichment guarantee’ of at least 80 hours of extracurricular activities per year
Enrichment activities key to boosting attendance, think-tank says

Monday

17th Feb 2025

9 out of 10 areas with highest absence are in the North
A coalition of northern-based charities and organisations calls on the government to tackle the root causes of pupil absence
The North of England is worst affected by unauthorised pupil absence, analysis shows

Wednesday

12th Feb 2025

Estyn: Welsh secondary attendance rate ‘stubbornly low’
Welsh secondaries’ struggles to recruit teachers are ‘impacting the quality of education’, finds schools inspectorate’s annual report
Two boys with a stubborn mule

Thursday

30th Jan 2025

Parent fines for term-time holidays rise by almost a quarter
Heads’ leaders call on the government to tackle ‘exorbitant prices’ charged by the travel industry during school holidays
Fixed penalty notice

Friday

24th Jan 2025

Parents warned of ‘significant barrier’ to home education in Scotland
Some SQA qualifications may not be available to home-educated young people because they include internal assessment, says new Scottish government guidance
Scottish home schooling
Breakfast clubs won’t improve attendance, say most heads
Teachers’ and leaders’ doubts about the government’s plan for free breakfast clubs in all primary schools have been revealed by a new poll
Empty seat at breakfast
Exclusive

Thursday

23rd Jan 2025

Persistent absence is coming down
But the number of pupils absent in the first week of this term was greater than last year, raising concerns that parent fines are not having the desired effect
Children entering school

Friday

17th Jan 2025

Is a HALO the key to improving attendance?
One MAT has created a new staff role, the home-academy liaison officer, to target persistent absence. Ellen Peirson-Hagger hears what it involves and what impact it is having
Illustration of people holding hands

Tuesday

14th Jan 2025

Ofsted to investigate why pupils with SEND are leaving education
Reviews will focus on pupils not in school, those receiving a part-time education and those who are severely absent
Ofsted to investigate why SEND pupils are leaving full-time education

Thursday

9th Jan 2025

Small drop in absence ‘but still a long way to go’
Pupil absence fell slightly last term, government data shows, but headteachers’ leaders warn investment in support services is needed
Empty egg carton

Wednesday

8th Jan 2025

Why the social role of schools has never been more important
Schools must be lighthouses in their community, piercing the darkness and helping all to see what is possible, says Star Academies CEO Sir Hamid Patel
People walking up to lighthouse in dark

Friday

20th Dec 2024

Why you can’t separate attendance from mental health and SEND
To improve attendance, schools need to understand how it interacts with mental health and SEND and build systems of support accordingly, argues Professor Tamsin Ford
Attendance, SEND and mental health: a complex interplay