Have government expectations of school attendance become impossible?: Points of View

Teachers Talk Radio · Jun 24, 2026 · 1h 4m

Improving attendance has been the obsession of both the government and Ofsted since 2020, leading to pressure being heaped on schools - and subsequently children and families - to solve a growing crisis. A fixation on the data, however, is not solving the problem and, instead of looking at the “why”, a punitive approach has been the chosen method of the government - but enforced on the ground by schools. This has led to a breakdown in relationships between parents and schools, with increasing blame falling on Heads and teachers, for situations which are ultimately out of their hands. Equally…