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

17th Oct 2025

Lack of special schools in DfE hubs ‘is an act of self-harm’
Sector leaders voice concerns that the government’s first wave of behaviour and attendance hubs includes only mainstream settings
New changes
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Wednesday

15th Oct 2025

Severe school absence ‘overstated’ in England
Although severe pupil absence is a growing problem since the pandemic, the scale of issue is not as bad as official DfE data suggests, according to a study
Empty classroom

Tuesday

14th Oct 2025

Curriculum reform must focus on engagement, not just attainment
Looking at how Chicago turned around its struggling schools offers insights into how the curriculum review could unlock transformation here, says trust CEO Becks Boomer-Clark
Becks Boomer-Clark

Thursday

9th Oct 2025

What’s really driving the school attendance crisis?
New analysis sheds light on the key factors affecting student attendance and how those factors interact, in sometimes surprising ways
New research sheds light on the factors driving low school attendance

Wednesday

8th Oct 2025

Phillipson: ‘Generational reset’ for white working-class pupils
Warning that ‘school just isn’t working’ for white working-class children, the education secretary promises policy to address this is in the forthcoming Schools White Paper
Bridget Phillipson has indicated that the White Paper will focus on white working class pupils.

Tuesday

7th Oct 2025

How to ‘absence-proof’ your curriculum
As schools across the country struggle to tackle persistent absence, Zoe Enser offers advice on how to make sure any gaps in attendance don’t translate to gaps in learning
Replacing section of bridge

Thursday

2nd Oct 2025

MATs worried about ‘accelerating decay’ of school estates
A new report from the Queen Street Group reveals the issues occupying the minds of multi-academy trust bosses – including the need to invest in better school site security
MATs boosting security measures despite ‘decay’ of school estates
Personalised texts to parents ‘can improve attendance’
Schools could see a reduction in student absence by changing the way they message parents about non-attendance, research suggests
Schools changing the way they message parents about absence can have an impact, says review

Tuesday

30th Sep 2025

Why attendance rewards don’t work
Giving incentives for good attendance, like class pizza parties, might not have the positive effect schools want, finds Mark Leswell, who offers an alternative
Attendance rewards

Monday

29th Sep 2025

‘Support not sanctions’ will help schools tackle absence, DfE told
Schools need to be able to pay for attendance teams without ‘starving the classroom’, MAT leader warns
‘Support not sanctions’ will help schools tackle absence, DfE told

Thursday

25th Sep 2025

How the system forgot about white working-class girls
While the underachievement of white working-class boys has attracted political attention, the struggles of disadvantaged white girls continue to be overlooked. School leaders tell Tes why this needs to change
Girls in classroom

Friday

12th Sep 2025

The hidden problem inside the attendance crisis
Internal truancy is a drain on teachers’ time and resources, harms pupils’ life chances – and could be about to get worse, a Tes investigation reveals
Boy sitting on the ground using his phone
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