The world has an abundance of knowledge and information, and in school, children study these different subjects that cover history, biology, arts, literature, mathematics, physics, physical education, geography, and many more. This is why it is important that children continue to attend school, and that support is provided for those who struggle to.
Because of the importance of this matter, the Government are advising schools to work in partnership with councils and consider targeted family support or home visits where there are barriers to attending school. This is part of a package of new and innovative measures to ensure that more children are in school every day, including targeted support for individuals who need it and improved data tools that will better identify and solve consistent issues.
The Department for Education is also launching a three-year 1-2-1 attendance mentoring pilot from this term, aimed at tackling the factors behind non-attendance such as bullying or mental health issues. It is being launched in Middlesbrough this year, before expanding to other areas of the country next year. The pilot will provide tailored support to over 1,600 persistently and severely absent pupils over the three-year period.
Schools, academy trusts, local authorities and the government will also have access to a powerful new attendance data visualisation tool, which is also being launched to help to spot and respond to issues.
As outlined in the Schools White Paper, the government is introducing a wide range of tools and programmes to tackle low attendance, including new best practice guidance on improving attendance for schools, trusts and local authorities.
The guidance makes clear that schools should provide individualised support to families that need it, for example through referrals to other organisations and services, including councils, and issue fines and other sanctions where absence is unauthorised.
Finally, from this month teachers will be able to claim the government’s levelling up premium. This is for teachers of high demand STEM subjects in the country’s most disadvantaged schools and worth up to £3,000 tax-free this academic year, as well as the next two years afterwards.
All the evidence shows that being in school is vital for helping pupils achieve their potential. That is why it is so important for them to attend every day they possibly can.
