29 areas vie for spots on council academy trust pilot Only a third of councils which applied are likely to be able to join the pilot launching their own trusts
DfE adviser calls for dozens of attendance hubs Trust CEO Rob Tarn wants DfE funding so other schools can follow North Shore Academy’s lead in launching attendance networks
DfE orders e-registers and sets new thresholds for absence fines Schools to be told to modernise the way they collect and record attendance data as government plans absence crackdown
Jump in teachers leaving, plus 6 more school workforce findings Thousands more teachers leaving the profession again as pandemic effect wears off, with vacancies at highest since 2010
DfE hiring up to 8 more advisers to oversee attendance push A handful of councils alone have slashed more attendance staff than the DfE plans to recruit
DfE to let councils invest absence fines in attendance support The DfE has also published more prescriptive guidance for schools, trusts and councils on attendance policies
Pupil attendance falls again as Covid closures double Despite overall Covid absences falling, the number of pupils missing school due to closures doubled to 34,000
New teachers won’t have to extend induction because of Covid absence New teachers will be able to progress to second-year induction even if they miss more than 30 days, with Covid absences discounted
Persistently absent pupils to be mentored under £5m trial DfE seeks organisation to mentor pupils in disadvantaged areas as persistent absence remains high