“We would urge the government to understand the realities in schools rather than issuing yet more diktats dreamt up in Whitehall.
“Schools already move heaven and earth to ensure that all their pupils attend regularly, but many of the factors that contribute to absence are beyond their direct control. Setting them individual targets doesn’t resolve those issues, but it does pile yet more pressure on school leaders and staff who are already under great strain.
“It would be far more effective for the government to ensure that every school has access to dedicated school attendance officers to work with families to understand the barriers to attendance and identify the support required to get children back into the classroom.
“Schools often have to fight this battle on their own despite having severely constrained budgets, staffing shortages, and amid all the other expectations pouring down on them. A new improvement target will create another burden without actually solving the issue it is supposed to address.”