Every school in England will receive a tailored target to tackle absence and help children thrive, under new plans unveiled by
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
The Department for Education today (12 November) announced a nationwide push to restore attendance to pre-pandemic levels, setting out what it calls a “roadmap for improvement” aimed at ensuring every pupil is in class and learning.
Last year, attendance figures saw their biggest improvement in a decade, with 5.3 million more days spent in school and 140,000 fewer persistently absent pupils as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
But officials say too many schools are still struggling to make progress. One in three schools failed to improve attendance last year, prompting the department to introduce new AI-powered minimum attendance improvement targets for every school.
Known as the Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectation (ABIE), the targets will be personalised to each school’s circumstances — taking into account factors such as deprivation, pupil needs and location.
The AI system will also link schools with high-performing counterparts in similar contexts, allowing them to share proven strategies and best practice.
Alongside the new measures, 36 Attendance and Behaviour Hubs are launching this week to provide one-to-one support to tens of thousands of pupils, while new events and open days will help schools learn from those achieving the best results.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:
“We can only deliver opportunity for children in our country if they’re in school, achieving and thriving. That’s why I want every school to play its part in getting attendance back to – and beyond – pre-pandemic levels.
We’ve already delivered the biggest improvement in attendance in a decade and now we’re building a school system for the future with free breakfast clubs, more mental health support and a curriculum and enrichment offer to match. But we must go further.
By working jointly with schools to set individual targets, we’re tackling variation head-on. Our best schools already have a brilliant approach to attendance, and now we’re driving that focus everywhere so that all children are supported to attend school and learn”.
Targeting key transition years
Research shows attendance often dips during Key Stage 3, particularly as pupils move from primary to secondary school. To address this, schools will now receive a new best practice toolkit offering strategies to support students through these transitions.
At CHS South in Manchester, initiatives such as family cooking classes for new Year 7 pupils have helped reduce anxiety and build a sense of belonging.
Sue Burke, Deputy Headteacher and Attendance Lead, CHS South, Manchester:
“Our ambition is that no-one is left behind or left on the outside looking in. We welcome and celebrate our young people and their families from their very first interaction with us, which in turn creates a community of belonging.
Attendance is a whole staff team effort and we are particularly proud of our attendance team, who work with relentless drive offering support and empathy to students and their families, while also providing skilful and personalised challenge when needed”.
Building belonging through enrichment
King’s Leadership Academy Warrington, highlighted in the new toolkit, has seen striking results by embedding enrichment into school life. Pupils choose from activities including crochet, gardening, and sign language — all designed to strengthen community and belonging.
Umar Hussain, Kings Leadership Academy headteacher, said:
“At King’s every day and every lesson counts. We create many opportunities to interact with our students and it’s those moments that build a genuine sense of belonging.
Our students matter to us, every child is noticed and greeted throughout the day, whether during lesson transitions, break times, or with a handshake and words of praise in lessons. Through these daily interactions, our students feel valued and connected, which helps them become happy, confident learners who want to attend school every day”. Photo by Sebastiandoe5, Wikimedia commons.