England Gives All State Schools Attendance Targets as Persistent Absence Holds at 19%
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 6
England Gives All State Schools Attendance Targets as Persistent Absence Holds at 19%
2 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 6
Summary
Every mainstream state school in England will get its own attendance target, with the Department for Education monitoring progress for the first time but imposing no immediate penalties for missing goals.
The move follows new data showing overall attendance slipped to 93% in 2025/26 and nearly one in five pupils missed at least 10% of sessions, roughly double the pre-pandemic persistent absence rate.
Paul Waugh said targets will reflect local challenges, while schools will also get new data tools and be urged to run more Friday clubs and enrichment sessions to tackle end-of-week absences.
Union leader Paul Whiteman said schools cannot solve the problem alone, pointing to illness, mental health, poverty and unmet special educational needs as drivers of continued absence.
The figures also showed almost 12% of pupils were absent in the week of 22 June during an exceptional heatwave, underscoring how far attendance remains from the 95%-plus rates common before Covid.