Political opinion: Halesowen schools get roadmap to get back to pre-pandemic attendance levels
Children in Halesowen stand to gain more days of learning as Labour’s Education Secretary has set local schools an individual minimum attendance target – part of an urgent drive to restore absence to pre-pandemic levels.
Last year saw the biggest improvement in overall attendance in a decade nationally, with the Labour government overseeing 5.3 million more days in school and 140,000 fewer persistently absent pupils as part of its Plan for Change.
But with 1 in 3 schools failing to improve, the Department for Education is providing schools in Halesowen with roadmaps to double down on efforts to support pupils back to class, as research shows the importance of every day in school for children’s opportunity in life and future earnings.
From this month, Halesowen schools will be issued with AI-powered minimum attendance improvement targets to ensure children are in school and ready to achieve. The attendance baseline improvement expectation (ABIE) will be based on schools’ circumstances – including location, pupil needs and deprivation.
Labour is also harnessing AI and data to give more support to Halesowen’s schools to meet the minimum expectations, by linking them up with high performing schools with similar circumstances. These top schools will be identified within each school’s ABIE report.
This comes alongside 36 new Attendance and Behaviour Hubs, which will offer direct one-to-one support reaching tens of thousands of pupils across hundreds of schools, as wider sharing of best practice through events and open days.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “We can only deliver opportunity for children in our country if they’re in school, achieving and thriving. That’s why I want every school to play its part in getting attendance back to – and beyond – pre-pandemic levels.
"We’ve already delivered the biggest improvement in attendance in a decade and now we’re building a school system for the future with free breakfast clubs, more mental health support and a curriculum and enrichment offer to match. But we must go further.
“By working jointly with schools to set individual school targets, we’re tackling variation head-on. Our best schools already have a brilliant approach to attendance, and now we’re driving that focus everywhere so that so that all children are supported to attend school and learn.”
MP for Halesowen, Alex Ballinger, said: “Parents in Halesowen want their children to achieve and thrive in our local schools.
“After the best attendance gains in a decade, Labour is going further to break down barriers to opportunity by partnering with parents and schools in the push for better.
“I look forward to working with schools to spread best practice across Halesowen, delivering our Plan for Change and giving local children the best start in life.”
Research has also identified a significant attendance drop-off during Key Stage 3 as pupils struggle to settle in to secondary school life and emerging issues start to surface.
That is why schools will now receive a best practice toolkit from the Labour government, targeting these critical transition moments – like the jump from primary to secondary and Year 7 to 8 – giving them proven strategies to keep children engaged.
