The guidance applies to all maintained schools, academy trusts and alternative provision providers and is accompanied by a summary table of responsibilities for school attendance. Whilst non-statutory at present, the DfE has confirmed that the Secretary of State has committed to the guidance becoming statutory no sooner than September 2023 (parliamentary time permitting). The guidance sits alongside the new Schools Bill, which, in Part 3, currently contains draft provisions to make statutory the requirement for schools to have a policy to promote regular attendance of registered pupils. We focus here on the requirements for such policies.
School attendance has come into even sharper focus given the disruption faced by so many pupils due to the pandemic. The new guidance asks schools to work in close collaboration with local partners to address school attendance issues and improve school attendance across communities.
As part of this drive to improve school attendance, the DfE has set out within the guidance their expectations on how schools may practically address attendance issues, which will include the following actions to (as set out in the guidance):
Schools will see reference in this list to developing a school attendance policy and the DfE is clear that the policy should reflect the expectations set out in the guidance. The DfE expects that as a minimum any policy will include (as set out in the guidance):
The policy should be published on a school's website and parents should be reminded of its contents on an annual basis. The policy should also be provided to all new starters to the school as a matter of course.
It is important to note that for multi-academy trusts, there is an expectation that the policy must be tailored for each school. The policy must reflect the particular needs of the pupil cohort and community specific factors that affect attendance at each school. Additionally, the guidance recognises that these factors may change on a regular basis and so the policy should be an evolving document, that reflects the views of parents and pupils at any given time.
Whilst many schools and trusts will no doubt already be practising the expectations set out in the guidance, there is a clear expectation from the DfE that schools will be working collaboratively with local partners such as local authorities, health services, local schools, voluntary and community groups and the police. It is expected that this drive in closer collaborations will ensure a consistently joined up approach to providing support to pupils and their families.
We will continue to provide updates on this guidance, as its status changes.