Schools are going to have specific minimum attendance goals as part of a strategy to make up for educational setbacks caused by the pandemic. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is set to reveal a plan that will require each school to intensify efforts in helping students return to in-person classes.
Around one-third of schools are still struggling to enhance their attendance rates. Starting this month, every school will receive AI-generated targets for improving minimum attendance to ensure students are present and prepared for learning.
The Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectation (ABIE) will be tailored to each school’s circumstances, taking into account factors like location, student needs, and deprivation. Schools will be benchmarked against others with similar demographics, with progress against targets not being used for formal evaluation purposes.
Rather than for public scrutiny, performance data will be utilized to identify areas needing support, including through Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams. Simultaneously, 36 new Attendance and Behavior Hubs are being launched to provide personalized assistance to students.
While the government’s initiative aims to boost attendance levels, some teaching unions have expressed reservations, citing concerns about additional pressure on already struggling schools. Bridget Phillipson emphasized the importance of school attendance for children’s success and emphasized the collaboration with schools to set personalized targets to address attendance disparities.
Prior to the pandemic, the overall absence rate stood at 4.7%, which rose to 7.6% in the 2021/22 academic year. The number of persistently absent students, those missing more than 10% of school days, nearly doubled following the pandemic.
The Labour party has overseen progress, leading to 5.3 million more school days attended and 140,000 fewer persistently absent pupils last year, with a commitment to return to pre-pandemic attendance levels.
School leaders’ union NAHT’s general secretary, Paul Whiteman, stressed that schools are already striving to enhance attendance and that imposing additional targets may not be beneficial. He advocated for government support in the form of resources and assistance for families facing challenges affecting school attendance.
Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, echoed the sentiment, urging the government to understand the realities faced by schools and provide practical solutions rather than imposing more targets. He emphasized the need for dedicated school attendance officers to work with families and address attendance barriers effectively.