Roadmap to return to pre-pandemic attendance levels

Why is there a call for new attendance targets?

The Education Secretary has set every school an individual minimum attendance improvement target. The government believes that, by doing so, children stand to gain millions more days of learning. This measure comes as part of an urgent drive to restore absence to pre-pandemic levels.

Last year marked the biggest improvement in school attendance in a decade. Pupils spent 5.3 million more days in classrooms, and 140,000 fewer children were persistently absent. These gains were driven by the government’s Plan for Change.

However, 1 in 3 schools are still failing to improve. So, today (Wednesday 12 November 2025) the Department for Education (DfE) is setting out a roadmap for every school to double down on its efforts to support pupils back to class. Research shows the importance of attending every school day for children’s opportunity in life and future earnings.

What is the government’s strategy for improvement?

From this month, the government aims to issue every school with AI-powered minimum attendance improvement targets. It believes that this will ensure children are in school and ready to achieve.  The attendance baseline improvement expectation (ABIE) will be based on schools’ circumstances – including location, pupil needs and deprivation. 

The DfE is using this AI and data to give more support to schools to meet the minimum expectations. It is doing so by linking them up with high performing schools with similar circumstances. The plan is for these top schools to be identified within each school’s ABIE report.

This comes alongside 36 new Attendance and Behaviour Hubs launching today. The DfE aims to offer direct one-to-one support reaching tens of thousands of pupils across hundreds of schools. This wider sharing of best practice is set to come through events and open days. 

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:

“We can only deliver opportunity for children in our country if they’re in school, achieving and thriving. That’s why I want every school to play its part in getting attendance back to – and beyond – pre-pandemic levels.

“We’ve already delivered the biggest improvement in attendance in a decade and now we’re building a school system for the future with free breakfast clubs, more mental health support and a curriculum and enrichment offer to match. But we must go further. 

“By working jointly with schools to set individual targets, we’re tackling variation head-on. Our best schools already have a brilliant approach to attendance, and now we’re driving that focus everywhere so that all children are supported to attend school and learn.”

Research also identifies a significant attendance drop-off during Key Stage 3. This comes as pupils struggle to settle in to secondary school life and emerging issues start to surface. 

That is why the government is now aiming to equip schools with a best practice toolkit. The aim is to target these critical transition moments, like the jump from primary to secondary and Year 7 to Year 8. The DfE claim that the toolkit will give teachers the proven strategies to keep children engaged.

At CHS South in Manchester, the school encourages strong starts to secondary school by creating a sense of community with parents and pupils. Parents say the strategies, like family cooking classes in the summer before year 7, have eased anxiety around the transition.

Sue Burke, deputy headteacher and attendance lead, CHS South, Manchester: 

“Our ambition is that no-one is left behind or left on the outside looking in. We welcome and celebrate our young people and their families from their very first interaction with us, which in turn creates a community of belonging.   

“Attendance is a whole staff team effort and we are particularly proud of our attendance team, who work with relentless drive offering support and empathy to students and their families, while also providing skilful and personalised challenge when needed.” 

King’s Leadership Academy Warrington has one of the best practice examples in the new toolkit. This school creates an environment where all children can belong and thrive. It offers weekly enrichment sessions where pupils choose activities including crochet, gardening and sign language.

This work to offer more enrichment opportunity has seen huge success in improving pupil attendance. One severely absent pupil now comes in to school more regularly so she can be part of the school’s community outreach programme which delivers reading support to younger children. 

Umar Hussain, Kings Leadership Academy headteacher, said:

“At King’s every day and every lesson counts. We create many opportunities to interact with our students and it’s those moments that build a genuine sense of belonging.  

“Our students matter to us, every child is noticed and greeted throughout the day, whether during lesson transitions, break times, or with a handshake and words of praise in lessons. Through these daily interactions, our students feel valued and connected, which helps them become happy, confident learners who want to attend school every day.”

In response to this government proposal, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: 

“The reality is that schools are already working tirelessly to improve attendance, with many going way above and beyond what should be expected of schools every single day.

“The government issuing them with yet more targets will not help them with that work and is the wrong way to go.

“Instead of issuing targets from Whitehall, the government’s focus should be on providing the practical resources and support that genuinely make a difference – as well as investing in community services providing vital help for families with challenges in their lives which impact their children’s school attendance.”

Looking ahead

The government wants to tackle barriers to attendance head-on. From calling for schools to provide a base level of enrichment opportunities, to getting more children excited to attend. Limiting branded uniform items to minimise social and financial pressure, and rolling out free breakfast clubs so no child starts the day hungry.

While progress has been made, the challenge of improving attendance remains significant. The government’s renewed focus – combining AI-driven targets, best practice sharing, and direct support – signals a bold step toward closing the gap. However, critics argue that targets alone won’t solve deep-rooted challenges. Real success will hinge on balancing accountability with practical support for schools and families, ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn. Schools must embrace these tools to foster a culture where every day in class truly counts.