Middlesbrough gets help to tackle absences Tackling persistent absence has become a key priority for ministers after rates soared during the pandemic
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
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
DfE will no longer publish school Covid absence updates Leaders warn ‘having no stats doesn’t mean Covid has disappeared’
Persistently absent pupils to be mentored under £5m trial DfE seeks organisation to mentor pupils in disadvantaged areas as persistent absence remains high
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