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

Today

24th Jun 2026

Secondaries more likely to be marked down for attendance and behaviour
Ofsted’s latest data reveals a disparity in outcomes between primary and secondary schools in the combined inspection area of attendance and behaviour
Secondary schools are almost twice as likely as primary schools to be rated as falling short on attendance and behaviour under Ofsted's new inspections.

Yesterday

23rd Jun 2026

Oliver responds to MPs’ concerns about new Ofsted inspections
The education select committee questions the Ofsted chief about the impact of inspections on school leaders’ wellbeing and about controversy over the watchdog’s grade for achievement
Ofsted chief Sir Martyn Oliver

Monday

22nd Jun 2026

Why FOMO could be key to boosting attendance
Education consultant and former headteacher Rachel Macfarlane explains why creating a sense of adventure in schools can engage pupils and parents more than pleas to attend
Students in art class

Friday

19th Jun 2026

Have schools been put into an attendance trap?
New guidance on communicating with parents about absence leaves schools with the ‘all but impossible’ task of improving attendance without being able to hold families to account, warn leaders
Mixed messaging
Exclusive

Thursday

18th Jun 2026

MPs launch inquiry into Labour’s school reform plans
Committee will scrutinise DfE’s teacher recruitment targets and plans to reform accountability measures and narrow the disadvantage gap
MPs have launched an inquiry into DfE's planned schools reforms but it does not include SEND.

Wednesday

17th Jun 2026

Rejected: 1 in 10 offers of extra attendance and behaviour help
Schools targeted for help under DfE scheme may feel ‘unfairly stigmatised’, says heads’ leader
Half of its capacity
Exclusive

Thursday

11th Jun 2026

School paperwork surges due to ‘horrendous’ Ofsted workload
Around half of secondary schools have already produced extra documents to prepare for the new inspections
Pile of papers on desk

Tuesday

9th Jun 2026

DfE highlights Taylor Swift gig in crackdown on ‘one-off’ absences
Government publishes the research behind its plans to curb one-day absences, alongside a new parental communications guide for schools to help keep messaging ‘useful’
Taylor Swift
Let birthday pupils skip lunch queue to cut absence, schools told
Schools will be provided with new tools highlighting absence patterns over the year, and new communications guides to improve engagement with families
Skip the lunch queue

Monday

8th Jun 2026

We need to look harder for our ‘invisible learners’
All teachers know the signs of children who are slowly disengaging in school, but what we’re not good at is stepping in to support them before they reach crisis point, says Gloria Dalafu
Children walking

Wednesday

3rd Jun 2026

Boost girls’ wellbeing to cut absence, ministers told
Improving life satisfaction is ‘likely to yield the greatest benefits’ for school attendance, NFER researchers find
Boost girls' wellbeing to cut absence

Thursday

21st May 2026

Give review panels power to reinstate excluded pupils, says charity
Tens of thousands of pupils are being removed from mainstream education through an increase in ‘informal practices’ such as off-rolling, Coram Children’s Legal Centre warns
Review panels