- St Edmund’s Catholic School identified as high achieving when it comes to boosting pupil attendance.
- Schools across Portsmouth to be set an individual minimum target to improve attendance and set up every child to achieve and thrive.
- Labour to build on best-in-a-decade attendance gains to restore millions of days of lost learning and drive national renewal.
Today 18 November, Stephen Morgan MP for Portsmouth, has congratulated St Edmund’s Catholic School on its status as a ‘hub’ for Labour’s drive to boost pupil attendance post-pandemic.
Labour has announced 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.
It comes as children in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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, Portsmouth 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 [area]’s schools to meet the minimum expectations, by linking them up with high performing schools, like St Edmund’s Catholic School.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“I give my congratulations to St Edmund’s Catholic School. Their hard work throughout recent years has been rewarded with new status as Lead School for the RISE attendance and behaviour support programme.
“Through several visits to St Edmund’s in my time as MP for Portsmouth, I have seen first-hand the dedication of teachers, school support staff and pupils, which I am proud to see formally acknowledged.
“Labour has already achieved the best attendance gains in a decade since coming into office last year. However, this Government wants to go even further to fulfil their commitment to breaking down barriers to opportunity, so every child can achieve and thrive.
“St Edmund’s Catholic School will be able to lead by example and spread best practice across Portsmouth South, I look forward to collaborating with them once again, ensuring that local children are given the best start in life.”
Commenting, 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.”
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.
