Prime Highlights:

• Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has launched a new plan to boost school attendance and help every child succeed.
• The initiative focuses on setting clear goals for each school and providing stronger support to improve attendance levels across the country.

Key Facts:

• Last year saw 5.3 million more school days and 140,000 fewer persistently absent pupils, the biggest attendance improvement in 10 years.
• The government is introducing more free breakfast clubs, mental health support, and affordable uniforms to make schools more welcoming and supportive.

Background:

In a major step to strengthen the education system, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced a detailed plan to help schools improve attendance and make sure every child has the chance to succeed. The initiative introduces individual attendance improvement targets for every school, supported by AI technology, to bring attendance back to – and beyond – pre-pandemic levels.

The Department for Education revealed that last year saw the biggest rise in attendance in a decade, with 5.3 million additional school days recorded and 140,000 fewer persistently absent pupils. Despite progress, one in three schools still struggles, so the department has set out a plan to fix it.

From this month, each school will receive a personalised Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectation (ABIE) report, generated using AI to account for factors such as school location, pupil needs, and levels of deprivation. The data will also link schools with high-performing institutions in similar circumstances to share best practices and strengthen attendance strategies.

Alongside this, 36 new Attendance and Behaviour Hubs have been launched to provide direct support to tens of thousands of pupils and hundreds of schools. These hubs will focus on sharing successful approaches through workshops and open days.

Phillipson said that children can only succeed if they attend school regularly. She added that by working closely with schools and setting clear goals, the government aims to improve attendance everywhere.

To address challenges during critical school transitions, such as moving from primary to secondary education, the department is also introducing a best practice toolkit. Schools like CHS South and King’s Leadership Academy have boosted attendance through community activities that help students feel included.

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