More than 140,000 pupils in the UK are absent from from school more than 50% of the time: more than double the number from before the pandemic.
Not being in school matters – and not only because pupils miss out on learning. Teachers play an important role monitoring the welfare of their students, and if young people are on the streets rather than at school they are also more at risk of harm and exploitation.
Absence rates have prompted increasing concern from the government. Up until now, measures to tackle absence have focused on blaming parents and issuing fines: more than a third of a million so far.
More recently, the government has acknowledged the role played by inadequate support for special needs and disability as well as the impact of mental health on pupil attendance. They have responded by increasing the number of “attendance hubs”: collaborative groups led by senior teachers in schools that have good attendance with the aim of sharing effective strategies with others.
