National developments
The 2025 Ofsted School Inspection Framework introduces significant changes, placing attendance at the heart of school culture rather than treating it as a standalone measure. Inspectors now consider how attendance reflects pupils’ sense of inclusion, belonging and support, with a stronger focus on understanding the underlying reasons for absence and the effectiveness of early intervention.
Schools are expected to demonstrate robust systems for monitoring attendance patterns, identifying and addressing barriers - including those linked to SEND and mental health difficulties and ensure attendance is fully integrated within their safeguarding practices. There is an increased emphasis on leadership accountability, with governors and senior leaders required to rigorously scrutinise attendance strategies and ensure that staff are appropriately trained.
For vulnerable groups, particularly children with a social worker, the framework aligns with statutory guidance such as, Working Together to Improve School Attendance, 2024. This reinforces expectations around multi-agency collaboration, the development of personalised support plans, and the integration of attendance within Child Protection and Child in Need plans. This is in line with new non-statutory guidance from the DfE, from September 2025, intended for local authorities in: Promoting the education of children with a social worker and children in kinship care arrangements.
Alongside this, the Department for Education has introduced Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams, offering both targeted support for identified schools and a universal offer focused on collaboration, system leadership and the sharing of effective practice. Attendance remains a central priority within this work.
The introduction of Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectations further strengthens a data-led approach, with schools set tailored improvement expectations based on their context. This supports more consistent benchmarking and targeted intervention at school and system level.
Best Start in Life - Best Start in Life reinforces that good school attendance is built in the early years through strong routines, consistent engagement with childcare, and whole-family support via Family Hubs.
Collectively, these developments reinforce a clear national direction: attendance is ‘everyone’s business’, requiring strong use of data to identify need, coordinated multi-agency working, and a consistent focus on early support. For Lincolnshire, this underpins the need to target support effectively, strengthen information sharing across services, and ensure that all partners play an active role in improving attendance outcomes.
National guidance continues to promote a “support first” approach, emphasising early identification of need, a clear understanding of barriers, and collaborative work with children and families.