This week I highlight the expansion of the sector-led Attendance Hubs programme to get more children into school, the call for evidence on children missing education and publication of new non statutory sustainability guidance.

Attendance programmes expanded to get more children into school
New plans to support pupils to drive up attendance rates in schools to improve pupils’ attainment and welfare were announced by the Government yesterday.

The plans included the expansion of the sector-led Attendance Hubs programme with nine new lead hub schools sharing effective practice and practical resources. Alongside the expansion of Attendance Mentors in areas of the country with the highest levels of pupil absence (across Knowsley, Doncaster, Stoke-on-Trent and Salford) to understand and overcome the barriers to attendance and support pupils back into school.

Call for evidence on children missing education
Yesterday the government published a call for evidence on children missing from education (CME) i.e. children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.

Receiving evidence from local authorities, schools and other agencies on what works to support children missing education and the challenges they face, will play a vital role in allowing the DfE to identify existing best practice and inform future policy. The call for evidence is open until 20 July.

New non-statutory sustainability guidance released
The DfE has published follow-up guidance to its strategy for sustainability and climate change for Education settings, which was released in April 2022. The new guidance expands on two aspects of the original strategy; setting up a sustainability leadership team and drawing up an effective climate action plan. The guidance also lays out further support that will be rolled out from December 2023.