The Department for Education has issued an updated information leaflet on the new statutory guidance for attendance called Working Together to Improve School Attendance. This comes into effect on the 19th August 2024. It details what schools, parents and Local Authorities should do to improve pupils’ attendance at school.

There are some important changes to attendance management from the 19th August 2024 which will affect the support paren and pupils receive from schools, and the legal sanctions that are used in certain circumstances.

Schools are legally obliged to provide support and intervention for pupils who are at risk of persistent absence (90% attendance or below). This will take the form of meetings with parents, school-based interventions, and the offer of support from outside agencies and professionals.

Schools are very keen to identify the barriers to attendance that families face and will welcome opportunities to overcome these barriers together. However, when a child's attendance falls outside of the parental legal obligations to send their child to school, there are legal pathways that must be followed.