CONTRIBUTORS
Spotting attendance problems early: why it matters
EMMA SANDERSON, Managing Director of Momenta Connect, part of Outcomes First Group, a leading provider of world class education, discusses the benefits of peer education.
In England, school absence is now a big, system-wide issue, not a rare problem. In 2023/24, around 1.49 million pupils, 1 in 5 children (20%), were persistently absent, meaning they missed at least 10% of school. More than 170,000 children (about 2.3%) were severely absent, missing at least half of all lessons. These numbers show why early identification is so important. If schools wait until a child has already missed weeks or months, the problem is much harder to fix.
Small changes in attendance have big effects Government research is clear: even “small” dips in attendance can seriously affect results. A recent Department for Education report found that Year 11 pupils with attendance over 95% are almost twice as likely to get a grade 5 in English and maths as pupils who attend only 90–95% of the time.
Put simply, missing one day every two weeks (around 90% attendance) can halve a child’s chances of getting strong passes in English and maths. Because of this, early identification is not just an admin task. It is directly linked to pupils’ GCSE grades, future study options, and even future earnings.
Why early identification is essential
Recent attendance statistics show that while absence rates have started to fall slightly, they are still well above pre-pandemic levels. If schools do not act early, pupils can quickly move from “a few days off” to being persistently or even severely absent. Early identification helps schools to: • Catch “drift” – notice when a pupil’s attendance falls from 97% to 93% before it reaches 85% or less.
• Act before patterns set in – habits form fast; early support is more likely to work.
• Protect learning – every extra day in school improves the chance of meeting expected standards. Using data well
The Education Endowment Foundation’s review of attendance interventions found that the most promising approaches are driven by good data and tailored to individual pupils. This means schools should: • Track attendance daily, not just termly. • Look at patterns by day of the week, class, subject and group (for example, SEND or disadvantaged pupils).
• Set clear triggers for concern, such as attendance dropping below 95%, repeated lateness, or frequent single days of absence (often Mondays or Fridays).
Data should never be used just to “name and shame”. Its real purpose is to flag pupils who may need help, so staff can talk to families early and find out what is going on. The bottom line The evidence is clear: • Absence is high and affects millions of children. • Even a small fall in attendance can cut a pupil’s chances of good grades.
• Interventions work best when they are early, data-informed and tailored.
For schools, treating attendance data as an early warning system, not a report after the event, is one of the most powerful ways to protect pupils’ learning, wellbeing, and future choices.
20
www.education-today.co.uk
Collaboration is the key: a different approach to the recruitment crisis
We hear from regular columnist and Managing Director at Class People, NAOMI HOWELLS.
The teacher recruitment crisis is here, loud and clear, and schools deal with the effects every day. The most recent Budget didn’t give schools
the breathing room they need, and without enough money, the staffing problems will only get worse.
There are fewer trainees entering the field, experienced teachers are leaving, support staff are being cut, and schools are trying to make budgets that just won’t stretch.
Teachers are not leaving because they don’t like their jobs. They’re leaving because the work never stops and the support systems around them keep getting weaker. When funding runs out for support staff positions, teachers have to take on more work on top of what they already have.
When schools can’t find permanent staff, they hire supply teachers. Supply teachers are very important, dedicated, flexible, and skilled, but the price of a supply day has also gone up. Agencies aren’t raising their prices just because they can. The truth is that it costs more to hire, keep, and support good supply staff. The cost of a supply day includes things like pay rates, compliance requirements, insurance, training, safety, and the cost of living. Schools need supplies more than ever, but they also cost more than ever, and that tension can’t be ignored. Urban schools are having trouble with competition and the high cost of living. Rural schools often don’t have enough people nearby to hire. It’s not right that geography is becoming the deciding factor in whether a child gets a good teacher.
This Budget could have been the time to start over and put money into support staff, protect teachers’ time, bring more trainees into the field, and make the workforce stronger. Instead, it feels like another year of trying to keep everything in balance and hoping nothing breaks. But here’s the interesting part. If the government can’t or won’t give schools enough money, maybe businesses can help out. Some businesses in Gloucestershire have already done this.
Axxcel and GET, two businesses in the area, couldn’t find the skilled workers they needed in their own fields. So, they put money directly into schools to support programmes that help young people learn the skills that those industries need. They saw what a lot of other people are starting to see. The pipeline doesn’t start when you start your apprenticeship or graduate. It starts in the classroom. So it makes you think. Why don’t more businesses and schools work together?
Think about schools contacting businesses and saying, “This is what our students need.” This is the talent your field will need in five, 10, and 15 years. “Let’s make it together.”
STEM skills, digital skills, engineering pathways, construction, green technologies, creative industries, early years, and sports. The next generation is important to everyone. Many businesses would definitely put money into education if someone made the connection for them. This isn’t about getting rid of government funding. It’s about adding targeted investment, opportunities, expertise, mentoring, equipment, and real-world learning that really gets young people ready for the jobs of the future.
To get past Recruitment Crisis 2.0, we need two things to happen at the same time: the government needs to give us enough core funding, and we need to work with businesses that want a skilled, educated future workforce.
We can make the education system stable, future-proof, and truly ambitious by getting schools, agencies, businesses, and communities to work together.
If we want great teachers in every classroom for my son, your kids, and the kids who come after us, we can’t just hope for it. It has to be planned, shared, and built together.
December 2025
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