NASUWT comments on attendance targets announcement

Commenting on the announcement that all mainstream state schools in England will be given their own pupil attendance target, Matt Wrack, General Secretary of NASUWT-The Teachers' Union, said:

"Teachers and school leaders want every child to be in school and they already work tirelessly with pupils and families to secure good attendance. We agree that the continuing level of persistent absence is deeply concerning.

"However, targets and data dashboards do not, by themselves, remove the barriers that prevent children from attending school. The official figures show particularly high absence among disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. This reflects the impact of poverty, unmet needs, mental ill-health, family pressures and the lack of timely access to specialist services.

"School-specific targets that take local circumstances into account may be preferable to a crude national benchmark applied to every school regardless of context. That said, the government must guarantee that these targets will not become another high-stakes accountability measure through which schools and staff are blamed for circumstances beyond their control. The reported absence of immediate penalties does not provide that long-term assurance.

"Enrichment activities can help pupils feel connected to school and NASUWT supports enrichment as a properly funded entitlement. But simply expecting schools to provide additional Friday activities, without guaranteed funding, staffing and protected staff time, would place yet another demand on an already overstretched workforce.

"Sustainable improvements in attendance will require early intervention, properly resourced local attendance and family services, effective mental health support and a SEND system that delivers support when children need it.

"Schools must be partners in that work and not the service expected to fill every gap left elsewhere."