absence | Schools Week

270 million in-person school days missed due to Covid last year

Absences rose more than five-fold in first full year of the pandemic

Covid pupil absences triple in two weeks and almost 1 in 10 teachers off

DfE data shows Covid disruption to schools is on the rise again

Fears over Covid testing cut-off as pupil absences start to rise

Attendance tracker records ‘first significant increase’ since late January

Record high of 1 in 25 pupils off with Covid as confirmed cases double

A quarter of schools have more than 15 per cent of teachers off – nearly double the rate in September

DfE looks to ex-teachers to fill Covid staffing gaps

Leaders also asked to ‘use their own networks to encourage sign-up’

Fines for school absence plummet by 86 per cent

The government wants councils and schools to ramp up enforcement

250k Covid absences in week before half term, with south west worst hit

DfE data shows Covid absences nationally rose to 3.2 per cent on October 21

Revealed: the 21 areas set for £15m AP taskforces to prevent crime

The government has confirmed the 21 areas set to receive funding under a scheme to prevent vulnerable pupils in alternative provision “entering a life of crime”. Alternative provision specialist taskforces will be launched across England in “serious violence hotspots”, receiving £15 million between them in Treasury funding. The taskforces will include mental health professionals, family […]

School attendance data to be published fortnightly from September

The government will only publish school attendance data every two weeks from September, it has emerged. It comes as government scientific advisers warned a “high prevalence” of Covid-19 was “highly likely” to be seen in schools by the end of September, and urged the government to “plan for this eventuality”. Data on pupil attendance and […]