Overview

This bill aims to improve school attendance in England and Wales by placing new duties on local authorities and school proprietors. Local authorities must actively promote regular attendance, while schools must create and implement written attendance policies.

Description

The bill amends the Education Act 1996 and the Education and Skills Act 2008. Key changes include:

• New Duties for Local Authorities: Local authorities in England are legally obligated to actively promote regular school attendance and reduce absences among registered pupils. They must consider any guidance provided by the Secretary of State.
• Mandatory Attendance Policies for Schools: All schools in England must develop and implement written attendance policies. These policies must detail procedures for managing attendance, strategies for promoting regular attendance, staff responsibilities, actions for non-attendance, and any specific strategies to address attendance concerns. These policies must be communicated to pupils, parents, and staff.
• Independent School Standards: The bill adds attendance as a factor considered in the assessment of standards at independent educational institutions.
• Secretary of State Guidance: The Secretary of State will issue guidance to support local authorities and schools in fulfilling these new duties.

Government Spending

The bill doesn't specify direct government spending figures. However, implementing the new duties will likely involve resource allocation for guidance development, monitoring compliance, and potentially supporting schools and local authorities in their efforts to improve attendance.

Groups Affected

• Local Authorities (England): Will face new responsibilities and potentially increased workload in promoting school attendance.
• Schools (England): Will need to create and implement comprehensive attendance policies, potentially requiring additional administrative tasks and staff training.
• Parents: May experience increased communication from schools regarding attendance and may face more scrutiny if their children have irregular attendance.
• School Staff: Will have new responsibilities related to attendance monitoring and policy implementation.
• Independent Schools: Will be subject to new scrutiny of their attendance policies as part of their overall standard assessments.

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