The Department for Education (DfE) has announced plans to encourage schools to increase the provision of after-school clubs and enrichment programmes as part of a wider effort to improve pupil attendance throughout the school week.
Paul Waugh, recently appointed as Education Minister under the Labour government led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, confirmed the introduction of updated guidance aimed at addressing the trend of increased absences, particularly on Fridays.
Minister Waugh highlighted a notable rise in illness-related absences on Fridays, up by nearly a quarter, and stressed the importance of understanding varied attendance patterns across schools. “We are continually refining the data provided to schools so they can identify whether their absence rates exceed those of comparable institutions,” he explained.
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He suggested that Friday absenteeism may stem from lower overall pupil engagement and emphasised the value of sharing innovative approaches among schools, such as offering engaging clubs and enrichment activities at the end of the week. “Our goal is to ensure that every child remains connected and motivated through to the weekend,” the minister said.
Minister Waugh also addressed broader challenges impacting attendance, including the influence of screen time on sleep quality, the rise in bullying linked to social media, and the increasing number of children with special educational needs. He underscored a commitment to creating an inclusive education system that accommodates all pupils.
Acknowledging that improvements will not be immediate, he asserted that higher absence rates cannot be accepted as “the new normal.” “We face pressures unseen by previous generations,” he remarked. “While we must adapt to these new realities, our ambition and moral responsibility to provide every child with the best start in life remain unwavering. Every missed school day represents a lost opportunity. As the minister responsible, I will ensure our response matches the scale of this challenge.”
DfE statistics reveal an overall attendance rate of 93% for the 2025/26 academic year, indicating a slight decline from the previous year. This figure includes both authorised absences, such as illness, and unauthorised ones, when pupils miss school without permission or valid reason.
Persistent absence rates, defined as missing at least 10% of school sessions, have doubled since the pandemic. In 2018/19, persistent absence in English state schools was approximately 10%, but recent data shows this has risen to 19% in 2025/26.
These developments have prompted the DfE to prioritise strategies that engage pupils consistently throughout the week and tackle the underlying causes of increased absences, with after-school clubs playing a central role in this initiative.