The government is giving schools a new package of attendance support, including a personalised tool based on real-time data showing cohort absence patterns over the year, a practical toolkit and communications guide to help leaders strengthen engagement with families.

Drawing on successful practice from schools across the country, the resources outline simple initiatives that make children feel recognised and valued. Examples include giving pupils a queue-jump pass at lunch on their birthday and using “Under the Weather” forms, which help parents and schools agree in advance how to support children who may struggle during the school day.

This comes following analysis of ‘just one day off’ habits which the government says could be quietly costing children weeks of learning. For example, 55% of children are more likely to miss school on their birthday.

The same analysis found that schools that don’t finish the year on a Friday see absence rates rise by 27% in that final week alone. The government says that, taken together, patterns of occasional, often avoidable absence like these are a key part of worse school attendance post-Covid.

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson said: "Improving attendance is everyone’s responsibility. That’s why we’re giving schools better tools to identify problems early and work with families to address them, while encouraging parents to play their part in building strong attendance habits.

"By sharing what works and backing our wider reforms to make schools places where children feel they belong, want to be and can achieve and thrive, together we can ensure more children are in the classroom every day."

The resources focus on early intervention, strong relationships with families, smoother transition into secondary school and creating school cultures where children feel they belong and want to attend.