£15m to expand attendance mentoring programme

The government has announced £15 million to expand its attendance mentoring programme to reach 10,000 more children and cover an additional ten areas with some of the worst attendance rates across the country.

The original programme, which has been running since 2022 in five pilot areas, sees attendance mentors provide one to one support to persistently absent pupils including those with SEND or mental ill health to break down the barriers to attendance, getting them back in the classroom, learning and thriving.

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson said: "Tackling the national epidemic of school absence is non-negotiable if we are to break down the barriers to opportunity so many young people face.

"For too long persistent absence has held back young people across the country and denied them the life chances that they deserve: this government is gripping this generational challenge facing our schools.

"This significant new investment will help thousands of children back into the classroom and marks an important step towards truly turning the tide on persistent absence, helping us drive high and rising standards in every school."

Pupils on the programme will be supported over a 12 to 20 week period and will have a specific plan to help them, developed by the mentor.

This might include helping pupils to manage anxious feelings, developing their confidence and self-esteem, establishing more consistent routines at home and supporting pupils to access support from wider services.

The programme will be run by delivery partners, Etio, a specialist consultancy that is already running a number of successful education projects in England, including the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics.