Request for Evidence around Attendance reforms
The Education Committee has launched an inquiry into persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils. Full details HERE.
This inquiry will focus on the issue of persistent and severe absence in schools, with a focus on supporting disadvantaged pupils. The inquiry aims to examine the issue of persistent and severe absence and the factors causing it and to assess the likely impact and effectiveness of the Department’s proposed reforms on attendance. The inquiry will also assess the impact of interventions such as breakfast clubs, free school meals, holiday clubs, and after school clubs on improving attendance for disadvantaged pupils, and will develop recommendations as to how attendance can be improved, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.
Read the call for evidence for more detail about the inquiry. You can submit evidence until 23:59 on Thursday 9 February 2023. Your submission should be no more than 3000 words. Scroll down for a template and explanatory video.
We have made a template for parental responses to the Request for Evidence submission.
EOTAS Matters, partnering with Square Peg, Not Fine in School and No School Fines is encouraging parents to use this as an opportunity to submit their own lived experiences in a bid to encourage evidence to be included from parents and families experiencing barriers to attendance.
For more background, watch the video below.