Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential (a) implications for her policies of trends in the level of unauthorised term time absences and (b) impact of unauthorised absence rules on families who are unable to find suitable times for holidays outside of (i) school term times and (ii) work schedules.

The new government has inherited a crisis in school attendance. Thanks to the hard work of schools, local authorities and system leaders there is evidence of slight progress but we must go much further to get children back to school. This government is acting decisively to tackle absence via a new approach rooted in responsibility, partnership and belonging. This includes supporting schools and recognising they have important responsibilities by creating a welcoming, engaging and inclusive environment for children, but that it is also a parent’s legal responsibility to send their children to school every day that they can.

Taking children out of school during term time can damage their education. If children are taken out of school for a one week holiday every year and have an average number of days off for sickness and medical appointments, then by the time they finish year 11 at age 16, they will have missed the equivalent of two entire terms of their schooling. This also causes unnecessary disruption for teachers, making it more difficult for them to plan lessons and cover the curriculum, which is then disruptive for the other pupils in the class. The school year gives families various opportunities to enjoy holidays together.

The department is working with the sector to bring breakfast clubs to all primary schools so that every child is in on time and ready to learn. We are introducing new annual Ofsted reviews of safeguarding, attendance and off-rolling, as well as tackling mental ill-health among young people by providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. Where pupils are not regularly attending school, the ‘Working together to improve school attendance' statutory guidance emphasises that schools and local authorities should be working with them and their family to provide support and remove any barriers to attendance.

We publish regular school attendance data, which shows rates of absence, including unauthorised absence, on an ongoing basis. This is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools.