STORY
The government has unveiled a back-to-school push to cut disruption in classrooms and improve attendance, promising new support hubs for thousands of schools and a louder role for parents in getting children into lessons. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said “mums, dads and carers” must be part of a “united effort” to ensure pupils are “in class and ready to learn”. Under plans announced on Sunday, 800 schools educating around 600,000 pupils will join new RISE Attendance and Behaviour Hubs this term, sharing approaches from high-performing leaders. In total, up to 5,000 schools are expected to benefit, with the 500 most in need receiving intensive, targeted help. Behaviour specialist Tom Bennett and education leader Jayne Lowe have been appointed as Attendance and Behaviour Ambassadors to help shape the programme.
Ministers say the push responds to mounting concerns over lost learning time and staff wellbeing. A new government survey covering the 2023/24 year found 78% of teachers reported poor behaviour harmed their health, while analysis suggests “seven out of every 30 classroom minutes” are being lost to disruption. Phillipson said progress had already been made, citing five million more days in school last year and 140,000 fewer pupils classed as persistently absent, the biggest year-on-year improvement in a decade. The department says that uplift equates to roughly 1,000 classes learning full time for a year and could protect more than £2 billion in pupils’ future earnings. Further measures will be set out in a forthcoming schools white paper, with the Department for Education signalling tighter expectations on behaviour alongside continued support and accountability for schools. The package sits alongside commitments on free breakfast clubs, expanded mental-health support and capital funding to improve the school estate.