Schools are to be assigned 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 unveil a plan for all schools to intensify efforts in assisting students to return to classrooms.
Approximately one-third of schools are still struggling to boost their attendance rates. Starting this month, each school will receive AI-generated minimum attendance improvement targets to ensure that students are present and prepared for academic success.
The Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectation (ABIE) will be tailored to each school’s unique circumstances, taking into account factors such as location, student requirements, and deprivation levels. Schools will be benchmarked against institutions with similar demographics, with progress tracking not tied to formal accountability measures.
The performance data will be utilized to pinpoint areas requiring support, including through Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams. Concurrently, 36 new Attendance and Behavior Hubs are being launched to provide personalized assistance to students.
However, teaching unions have expressed reservations about additional targets adding pressure on schools already facing challenges. Secretary Phillipson emphasized the importance of student attendance for their overall development and urged schools to collaborate on achieving and surpassing pre-pandemic attendance levels.
Before the pandemic, the overall absence rate stood at 4.7%, which surged to 7.6% in the academic year 2021/22. The number of persistently absent students, defined as those missing over 10% of school days, nearly doubled post-pandemic.
While the Labour party has made strides, with more days in school and fewer persistently absent pupils, the focus remains on returning to pre-pandemic attendance levels. School leaders’ union NAHT’s general secretary, Paul Whiteman, highlighted the ongoing efforts of schools to enhance attendance and called for practical support rather than additional targets.
Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, urged the government to consider the challenges faced by schools and provide resources like dedicated attendance officers to address attendance barriers effectively. Setting individual improvement targets, he noted, may exacerbate existing pressures on school staff without offering substantial solutions.