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

Friday

6th Mar 2026

How we made enrichment part of the timetable
Want pupils to have more time for learning beyond the curriculum? Then you have to ensure it’s part of the school day, say these two trust leaders
Children in dance class

Wednesday

4th Mar 2026

How peer relationships play a role in closing attendance gaps
New data shows how, for disadvantaged students and those with SEND, in particular, friendship can be an enabler to support attendance, explains Lauren Bellaera
How peer relationships play a role in closing attendance gaps

Friday

27th Feb 2026

Schools White Paper: when will the plans be delivered?
Tes sets out the timeline for key reforms included in this week’s schools White Paper and associated plans to overhaul the SEND system
Schools White Paper: Target dates for implementation

Friday

20th Feb 2026

AI attendance targets yet to reach many schools
Findings are further proof that the government rollout of AI-generated attendance targets for individual schools has been ‘botched’, says leaders’ union
AI Attendance Reports
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Thursday

19th Feb 2026

SEND transport bill could hit £3.4bn by 2030, councils warn
Local authorities could be transporting 100,000 more pupils with SEND to school by the end of the decade unless there is significant reform, say councils
Home to school transport (HTST)

Wednesday

18th Feb 2026

School absence up 50% in latest flu season, analysis finds
Surge in pupil sick days prompts health experts to call for the government to roll out flu vaccination to all schools before October break
School absence

Thursday

12th Feb 2026

How revamping our internal AP had a huge impact
Is your internal alternative provision failing to have the desired impact? A headteacher shares insights on how her school tackled this issue, with clear outcomes
Student with window pane
Teachers facing worse behaviour more likely to quit, study finds
New NFER analysis raises concerns about the impact of behaviour on staff retention rates in schools around England
Teachers quitting

Tuesday

10th Feb 2026

Ofsted: Heads question fairness of combining attendance and behaviour
Tes analysis shows most schools graded as ‘needs attention’ were only criticised over attendance and not behaviour
Pupils going to school
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Thursday

5th Feb 2026

Creating a school culture where children want to be
Giving pupils a sense of belonging is key to improving attendance – and we can do this through designing a welcoming school culture, says this trust leader
Primary classroom pupils

Friday

30th Jan 2026

White disadvantaged girls see sharpest drop at GCSE
Leaders call for the government to set out targeted action amid fears that girls are being overlooked in the drive to improve white working-class pupils’ outcomes
Bad exam results
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Thursday

29th Jan 2026

More parents break term-time holiday rules despite higher fines
Union leaders have warned that the penalty notice system is ‘clearly not working’ following latest data
More parents break term-time holiday rules despite higher fines