Overview

• Department for Education research finds seven of every 30 classroom minutes are lost to disruption, equating to roughly 45 days of learning per pupil each year.
• An initial 21 schools are being designated as attendance and behaviour hubs to share proven strategies with peers.
• About 800 schools educating around 600,000 pupils will access support now, with the programme expected to reach 5,000 schools including intensive help for 500.
• The government reports five million more days in school and fewer pupils persistently absent over the last year, while severe absence rose to 148,000 in the autumn data.
• Teacher leaders welcome a united push but call for greater funding, specialist provision and faster mental-health and SEND support as suspensions and exclusions hit record highs in 2023/24.