This is an edited version of an article that appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 16 September 2025 in which Matt Bromley argues that attendance gaps will only lose when we foster a better sense of belonging…
According to new figures from the Department for Education (DfE), pupils racked up more than 5 million extra days in classrooms in 2024/25 compared with the previous year. Officials say this marks the biggest year-on-year improvement in attendance for a decade.
More than 140,000 fewer pupils were classed as persistently absent than a year ago, saving teachers an estimated 10,000 days of catch-up work. That time, the DfE argues, is now freed for delivering excellent lessons to whole classes.
But beneath the positive headlines, the story of school attendance is more complex – and, for some pupils, more troubling.
Let’s start with the positives…
The overall absence rate fell to 6.38% in the autumn term 2024/25, down from 6.69% the previous year. Both authorised and unauthorised absence edged downwards – by 0.16 and 0.14 percentage points respectively.
Persistent absence also improved. 1.28 million pupils (17.79%) were persistently absent in autumn 2024/25, compared with 1.41 million (19.44%) in the same term the year before. This is a welcome step forward, even if the figures remain far higher than the pre-pandemic norm of 10.94% in 2018/19.
Yet progress is patchy – and the gaps are glaring.
The number of severely absent pupils – those missing more than half their schooling –rose from 142,000 (1.97%) to 148,000 (2.04%) in a year.
Geography matters too. London’s severe absence rate stands at 1.49%, but in Yorkshire it rises to 2.39% – the highest in the country.
And disadvantage continues to bite. Pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) have an absence rate almost double that of their peers. They are more than twice as likely to be persistently absent and three and a half times more likely to be severely absent.
For pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the picture is equally bleak. Absence rose among pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Overall, the absence rate for children with SEND is now nearly twice that of pupils with no identified needs. Worse still, the gap is widening.
So, what can schools do?
The strategies schools have been using are clearly shifting the dial. But they are not working well enough for the children who need them most: disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. For these groups, the “attendance gap” is not narrowing; it is growing.
This tells us that improving attendance is not only about systems, sanctions, and strategies; it’s also about something more human – a child’s sense of belonging.
Too many children who are persistently or severely absent do not feel school is a place for them. They feel unseen, unheard, undervalued. They face barriers – practical, social, emotional – that stand in the way of participation.
That’s why belonging matters. Belonging is the emotional outcome of inclusion. When schools strip away barriers and adapt provision, children see themselves in the curriculum and feel respected by peers and adults. This creates a culture where young people feel safe, supported, and significant.
A school that prioritises belonging weaves it into everything: strategy, leadership, policy, curriculum, pastoral care, staff development, pupil voice.
Such schools combine high expectations with high support. They see diversity as a strength not a weakness. They celebrate differences. They challenge prejudices.
And belonging isn’t an abstract idea; it is lived out daily – clear routines applied fairly; staff who know children’s names, stories, and strengths; pupils who have a genuine say in decisions; a culture where enrichment and aspiration are open to all.
Yes, green shoots of recovery are now visible, but some seeds are yet to sprout.
bee | Bromley Education Enterprises Limited 