Hugh Baird College
A handful of councils alone have slashed more attendance staff than the DfE plans to recruit
The DfE has also published more prescriptive guidance for schools, trusts and councils on attendance policies
Leaders warn ‘having no stats doesn’t mean Covid has disappeared’
DfE seeks organisation to mentor pupils in disadvantaged areas as persistent absence remains high
Absences rose more than five-fold in first full year of the pandemic
DfE data shows Covid disruption to schools is on the rise again
Attendance tracker records 'first significant increase' since late January
Leaders describe new data as 'extremely worrying' as exam students remain worst-hit by absences
But staff absence remains high and tens of thousands of pupils still have Covid
