The Government is set to spend £15m expanding an attendance mentoring scheme to 10,000 more children in England.
The programme, which launched in 2022 in five pilot areas, sees mentors provide one-to-one support to persistently absent pupils, including those with special educational needs or mental ill health, to help break down the barriers to attendance.
From March, it will be expanded for three years to 10 more areas with some of the worst attendance rates.
The Government said attendance levels remained below pre-pandemic levels, with about one in five pupils missing 10% or more of their time in school.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: ‘For too long persistent absence has held back young people across the country and denied them the life chances that they deserve: this government is gripping this generational challenge facing our schools.
‘This significant new investment will help thousands of children back into the classroom and marks an important step towards truly turning the tide on persistent absence, helping us drive high and rising standards in every school.’
