Schools need targeted funding to develop and expand interventions to help tackle attendance problems, which remain substantially higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to a new study.
The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) report recommends that the extra funding should be directed to initiatives such as home visits, recruiting additional pastoral staff, including attendance officers and assistant heads of year, and tailored support for disadvantaged students.
It also calls on policymakers to invest in child and adolescent mental health and family support services to better manage student needs and tackle the root causes of absence beyond the school gate.
The report suggests that schools should prioritise supportive, individualised approaches to tackling student absence but also recognise that sanctions still have a role to play.
Absence substantially higher than pre-pandemic
The NFER study, Voices from the Classroom: Understanding how secondary schools support pupils returning from absence, is based on face-to-face interviews with staff and students at nine secondary schools at the end of last year, chosen for their “effective or innovative” approaches to attendance.
The research involved speaking to senior leaders, attendance champions, pastoral leads and students. They also surveyed 600 secondary teachers and leaders.
Despite considerable policy focus on getting students back into school, the NFER says levels of “overall and persistent absence”, those students missing 10 per cent or more of school sessions, remain substantially higher than they were pre-pandemic.
The authors recommend schools provide lesson catch-up support - for example, online lesson materials, teacher guidance, and structured sessions such as homework clubs or small-group support - to help students reintegrate after an absence.
Working closely with students and parents through regular meetings, workshops and home visits to understand barriers to attendance was felt to be most effective.
Students said they value having trusted staff members to talk to when returning from absence, while teachers emphasised the importance of tailoring support to individual student needs.
Some schools told researchers they used prize draws and trips to encourage and motivate good attendance.
Students in schools that took a supportive yet structured approach - offering recognition for good attendance alongside pastoral support - said they felt more motivated to come to school.
However, students in schools that relied primarily on sanctions, like detentions, fines and phone calls home, were more likely to perceive attendance policies as unfair.
Teachers said declining student mental health, particularly anxiety, was a key driver of increased absence
Lower threshold for student absence
Although term-time holidays account for a smaller proportion of overall absences than mental health difficulties or illness, teachers said they have increasingly become a problem.
They also said that the increased tendency for parents to work from home made it easier for students to miss school.
School staff observed a lowered threshold for taking a day off sick, with students more likely to stay home for mild illnesses, such as coughs and colds.
Some students felt that even mild illnesses were a valid reason to stay home, while others believed that only more severe symptoms, such as vomiting or a high fever, warranted time off.
Student wellbeing and anxiety
Researchers found that students agreed that missing school due to mental health difficulties was acceptable, particularly as many saw school as a source of anxiety.
They noted that feelings of school-related anxiety could not only lead to absence but also make it harder to return after being away for another reason.
One senior leader said: “The social narrative around anxiety has been something that we’ve had to try and get a grasp of - challenging parents when they say their child is off with anxiety.
“Is that a medically diagnosed condition? If it is, that’s fine and we’ll work with that. If it’s not, please don’t use that language.”
The NFER senior research manager and co-author of the report, Matt Walker, said schools should consider prioritising “encouraging and individualised approaches in addition to punitive sanctions”.
He added: “As part of the government’s curriculum and assessment review, it may be valuable to explore how wellbeing content can be effectively integrated into a diverse curriculum, and how, when delivered alongside extracurricular activities, it can support attendance while maintaining high academic standards.”
The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.
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