Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to address the rising rates in severe absence among girls in schools.

Absence remains a major barrier to children’s opportunity. To achieve and thrive, pupils need to be in school regularly. Thanks to the efforts of schools, trusts, local authorities and wider partners, attendance improved significantly in 2024/25, with children attending over 5 million more days than the previous year and 147,000 fewer children persistently absent. However, further progress is needed, particularly for severely absent pupils where barriers to attendance are often more complex due to intersecting needs and where girls have slightly higher absence than boys.

Our statutory ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ guidance requires schools to appoint an attendance champion, publish an attendance policy, and work closely with local authorities to identify and reduce barriers. The department guidance also recognises that for cohorts more at risk of severe absence, schools and local authorities should ensure targeted support is in place.

The department supports this through real-time attendance data tools and practical toolkits, helping schools, trusts and local authorities understand absence and act early. New regional improvements for standards and excellence (RISE) attendance and behaviour hubs will support over 3,000 schools, including enhanced support for up to 500 schools needing targeted intervention.