What is the answer to tackling the national attendance challenge?

One of the most significant and complex challenges facing the education sector today is how to address the national attendance crisis. While providing a high-quality education and creating opportunities for positive outcomes for young people are fundamental responsibilities of the system, these ambitions can only be realised if pupils are present and engaged in learning. Ensuring consistent attendance is therefore not only a prerequisite for academic achievement, but also for enabling children and young people to access the wider benefits, support and opportunities that education provides.

This is exactly why Etio convened senior education leaders, attendance leads, safeguarding and pastoral teams, local authority representatives, policymakers, and sector partners to explore practical, evidence-informed solutions for tackling the national attendance challenge. 

The Etio Conference 2026: 'Tackling the National Attendance Challenge' focused on the continuing impact of high school absence rates following the pandemic. Although overall absence has improved since its peak in 2021/22, attendance remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels. Persistent absence (missing 10% or more of school) still affects around 1.5 million pupils, while severe absence affects approximately 171,000 pupils.

We are pleased to share with you some key insights and outputs from the conference. 

Etio was delighted to welcome a line-up of expert keynote speakers, including: Simon Blake - Deputy Director, School Attendance, DfE; Jayne Lowe OBE - Attendance & Behaviour Ambassador, DfE; Laura Bell - Etio Project Director, Attendance Mentors; Tom Preston - Business Director, Thrive; Philip Horgan - Head of Evaluation, Youth Endowment Fund; Janay Taiwo - Education Manager, London's Violence Reduction Unit; Dr Lauren Bellaera - Director of Research, ImpactEd Group; and Samira Sadeghi - Director of Trust Governance,  Confederation of School Trusts. 

Current attendance can indicate future outcomes

Speakers highlighted strong links between attendance and educational achievement, future earnings, mental health, safeguarding and crime. Pupils with excellent attendance are far more likely to achieve good GCSE outcomes, while even small amounts of absence are associated with reduced lifetime earnings. Poor attendance is also linked to increased mental health difficulties, greater vulnerability to exploitation and poorer social outcomes. 

Above: The morning's panel discussion was chaired by Etio's UK Managing Director, Dr. Gordon Carver. 

Absence is not a single problem

A recurring theme was that absence consists of multiple challenges requiring different responses. Low-level and persistent absence is often driven by illness, anxiety, parental attitudes and school factors, while severe absence is more closely associated with complex issues such as unmet SEND needs, mental health challenges, poverty and housing instability. Children Missing Education (CME) remain a separate but related concern. 

Above: Simon Blake - Deputy Director, School Attendance, Department for Education. 

Government strategy focuses on prevention and early intervention

The Department for Education has adopted a more data-driven approach, focusing on identifying attendance issues before they become entrenched. Particular emphasis is being placed on the transition from primary to secondary school, reducing variation between schools, improving attendance data, strengthening accountability and supporting schools to intervene before absence exceeds 15%. 

Recovery target: 20 million more school days by 2028/29

Government attendance initiatives have already contributed to around 5 million additional school days and a reduction of nearly 150,000 persistently absent pupils. The next national target is to recover 20 million more days of attendance by 2028/29 through a combination of school support, parental engagement, health interventions and stronger data use. 

Above: Laura Bell - Etio Project Director, Attendance Mentors. 

Mentoring is a promising intervention

The Attendance Mentors Programme was presented as one of the most promising approaches for persistently and severely absent pupils. The programme provides personalised one-to-one mentoring, family engagement and targeted support. Early evidence suggests mentoring can help re-engage disadvantaged pupils, but speakers emphasised that stronger evidence is needed to prove long-term impact at scale. A major randomised controlled trial involving around 7,000 pupils is underway, with results expected in 2029. 

Above: Tom Preston - Business Director, Thrive.

SEND and mental health are major drivers

Many presenters highlighted the growing influence of mental health challenges and unmet SEND needs. Pupils with SEND are significantly more likely to be absent and excluded. Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) was repeatedly identified as a major issue, particularly in secondary schools, where anxiety, social pressures, bullying and curriculum disengagement often combine to reduce attendance.

 Above: Philip Horgan - Head of Evaluation, Youth Endowment Fund.

Data is increasingly important

Many contributors emphasised the importance of high-quality attendance data. Schools are moving beyond reporting attendance rates to identifying leading indicators such as wellbeing, engagement and behavioural changes. Examples included AI-powered attendance prediction tools and real-time dashboards that help schools identify pupils at risk before absence becomes persistent.

Above: Janay Taiwo - Education Manager, London's Violence Reduction Unit.

Belonging emerged as a central theme

Across multiple presentations, speakers argued that attendance is fundamentally linked to whether pupils feel safe, valued and connected within school. Thrive, ImpactEd, the London Violence Reduction Unit and others all stressed the importance of relationships, inclusion, trusted adults and a sense of belonging. Attendance was frequently described not as a behaviour problem but as an indicator of a child's experience of school. 

Above (left to right): Tom Preston - Business Director, Thrive; Dr Lauren Bellaera - Director of Research, ImpactEd Group; Laura Bell - Etio Project Director, Attendance Mentors. 

What the evidence says works

Research presented by ImpactEd suggested several factors most strongly associated with improved attendance:

• Positive family attitudes and home support.

• Strong peer relationships.

• Positive relationships with adults in school.

• A sense of inclusion and belonging.

• Recognition and rewards for attendance, particularly in more deprived communities.

• Early intervention and personalised support. 

The role of schools, trusts and local authorities

Successful attendance improvement depends on strong leadership, consistent systems, staff capability, parental engagement and effective use of data. Academy trusts were encouraged to provide strategic oversight, share effective practice and ensure attendance is connected to wider priorities such as safeguarding, SEND, behaviour and wellbeing. Local authorities were seen as particularly important in addressing severe and complex absence.

Above (left to right): Samira Sadeghi - Director of Trust Governance, Confederation of School Trusts; and Jayne Lowe OBE - Attendance & Behaviour Ambassador, Department for Education. 

To conclude

Improving attendance is not simply about enforcement or monitoring in isolation. While data, accountability and intervention are important, lasting improvement depends on creating schools where children feel they belong, are supported to thrive and want to attend. The most successful approaches combine strong systems with inclusion, relationships, mentoring, family engagement and early intervention.