This week I report on the publication of the updated EYFS Framework coming into force in January, the launch of an open consultation on the proposed Advanced British Standard and publication of the latest unauthorised absence figures.

EYFS statutory framework updated
The DfE has released a new version of the EYFS framework that will come into force from 4 January 2024, this follows the consultation that was held earlier in the year.

Open consultation launched for The Advanced British Standard (ABS)
The DfE has launched an open consultation seeking views on the development and approach for the ABS and how it is delivered. The consultation document sets out the proposals on the way the ABS could work and how the DfE will support the aims of the ABS. The consultation closes on 20 March 2024.

Term-time holidays drive surge in absence fines
The latest DfE data shows that the number of fines issued to parents for unauthorised pupil absence has almost doubled in the space of a year. There were 398,800 penalty notices issued in 2022/23 with 89.3% given to parents for taking pupils out of school for term-time holidays compared to 218,235 notices issued the previous year.

The use of penalty notices varies greatly by local authority, with three local authorities issuing no penalty notices while four local authorities issued more than 10,000 penalty notices each. Earlier this year the Commons Education Select Committee report on persistent absence advised that the DfE should deliver a national framework for the use of fines and prosecution. Another report into attendance published in September warned that the relationship between schools and parents was being strained by school-level attendance systems that felt “increasingly draconian to families” and that the idea of taking pupils on term-time holidays was now entirely socially acceptable across all socioeconomic groups.