West Dorset’s MP, Chris Loder, has welcomed new regulations announced by the Department for Education to reduce pupil absence in schools. Schools in West Dorset will now share their daily attendance registers across the education sector to identify and support children at risk of missing vital education.
Mr Loder, who has been campaigning to reduce pupil absence in West Dorset’s schools, said: “Children missing school is of great concern to me, and it’s an issue we are feeling in the South West. Since the pandemic, the overall absence rate in the region has remained above 7%, with many children not going to school as a result of barriers, such as mental health.”
He added: “It’s vitally important we can help those absent schoolchildren, and the new regulations will allow schools, trusts, councils, and the Department for Education to identify pupils in need of support. It’s the latest stage in the ‘support-first’ approach, which will be made statutory from August 2024 for schools to help pupils and their families tackle barriers to attendance.”
