Education Secretary Phillipson Launches Attendance Support Program for 800 England Schools

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has called on parents and caregivers to take greater responsibility in improving school attendance and behaviour as the UK government introduces new support measures for schools. The Department for Education announced a programme targeting 800 schools with about 600,000 pupils, including 21 initial 'attendance and behaviour hubs' led by headteachers who have successfully addressed these issues. Despite progress with five million more school days recorded this year, Phillipson highlighted concerns about white working-class children, who face higher rates of absence and suspensions, with one in 10 white children on free school meals suspended last year at five times the rate of their peers. She emphasized that this demographic is disproportionately affected by entrenched class divides that contribute to poor educational outcomes. The government plans to publish a schools white paper in the autumn outlining further strategies to tackle behaviour problems. Phillipson stressed that reversing these trends requires collective effort from parents, schools, and families to ensure children attend school and behave appropriately.