The sheer number of children missing big chunks of school is a crisis with many parts.
Firstly, the working-class kids: three times as many children receiving free school meals are severely absent from school than those pupils who aren't eligible.
And many come from homes where rates of unemployment are high, where the risk of being evicted is greatest and where it's more likely that they are living in some of the country's poorest areas.
Secondly, it's about money: Schools in these areas say they simply no longer have the money or resources to check up on children who aren't turning up.
Even though the government has pledged more money to schools in budgets since 2019, the rise in inflation and costs has largely cancelled that out.
Many schools used to have dedicated members of staff who would call up families and even visit them if a child was absent.
