Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils
Education Committee
Closed
Inquiry
The Education Committee has launched an inquiry into persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils. This inquiry will focus on the issue of persistent and severe absence in schools, with a focus on supporting disadvantaged pupils. The inquiry aims to examine the issue of persistent and severe absence and the …
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23
Recommendations
14
Conclusions
1
Report
4
Oral sessions
4
Events
Activity timeline 10 events
6 Dec
2023
2023
27 Sep
2023
2023
27 Jun
2023
2023
Oral evidence
27 Jun
2023
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
6 Jun
2023
2023
6 Jun
2023
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
16 May
2023
2023
Oral evidence
16 May
2023
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
7 Mar
2023
2023
Oral evidence
7 Mar
2023
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
27 Jun 2023
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Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils
Graham Archer · Department for Education
Rt Hon Nick Gibb · Department for Education
6 Jun 2023
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Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils; Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
David Holmes · Family Action
Declan Barker · Nottingham City Council
Jonathan Pauley · City Inspires
Leigh Middleton · National Youth Agency
Nathan Persaud · School of Hard Knocks (SoHK)
16 May 2023
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Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils
Diana Sutton · Bell Foundation
Dr Claudia Sumner · Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)
Dr Daniel Stavrou · Special Education Consortium
Ellie Costello · Square Peg
Pauline Anderson OBE · Traveller Movement
Vicki Nash · Mind
7 Mar 2023
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Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils
Alice Wilcock · Centre for Social Justice
Cllr Lucy Nethsingha · Local Government Association
Dame Rachel de Souza · Office of the Children's Commissioner for England
Mr Rob Williams · National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT)
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seventh Report - Persistent absence and support for disadvantage… | HC 970 | 27 Sep 2023 | 37 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
9
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
Seventh Report - Persistent absenc…
Department lacks urgency in addressing inconsistent and unregulated use of attendance fines.
There is evidence that prior to the pandemic, fines played a role in reducing unauthorised absence. However, it is less clear if they are an effective deterrent for families who are facing some of the current barriers to attendance we …
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Government Response
The government published its consultation response in August 2023, confirming its commitment to improving consistency in local enforcement and welcomes evidence for future regulatory or legislative changes to establish a national framework, while reiterating its commitment to making guidance statutory when parliamentary time allows.
Department for Education
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11
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
Seventh Report - Persistent absenc…
Roll out attendance interventions nationally, starting with a national expansion of attendance mentors.
We welcome the increase in attendance mentors and the expansion of attendance hubs. Geographical alignment with Education Priority Investment areas gives some insight into the Department’s priorities but we are persuaded that measures need to be rolled out nationally to …
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Government Response
The government welcomes support for attendance mentors and hubs, announcing a further expansion of the attendance hub program and an intention to double the number of hubs. It will consider options to expand mentoring investment to more local areas in 2024/25, but stops short of committing to a national rollout.
Department for Education
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34
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
Seventh Report - Persistent absenc…
Implement better signposting and consider requiring a single local authority support contact.
The Department should also implement better signposting to ensure local authorities, schools and families are aware of these measures. The Department should consider whether to require a single point of contact within each local authority that families can refer to …
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Government Response
The Department agrees to seek opportunities for better signposting of support for low-income families but explicitly rejects requiring a single point of contact within local authorities, stating existing avenues for support are sufficient.
Department for Education
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