Children鈥檚 commissioner Rachel de Souza has warned the government that absence problems have not 鈥済one away鈥, despite attendance improving this term. The latest official estimates put attendance rates nationally at 94.6 per cent in the week from September 12, based on data now submitted automatically by two thirds of schools. The DfE has launched a range of attendance initiatives in the past year and called it a 鈥減ositive start鈥. It marks an uptick on the 91.9 per cent rate of mid-September last year when Covid infection rates were several times higher. Attendance has also improved significantly on the 86.9 per cent in July, shortly before the summer holidays and amid then-rising Covid rates. But a newly published online dashboard shows significant regional variation, with attendance as low as 89.9 per cent in secondaries in Middlesbrough. Like-for-like data is not available for mid-September attendance pre-Covid, but average autumn term attendance is published annually. is lower than the 95.1 per cent of autumn 2019, and every other autumn for which figures are available back to 2016. ‘Not happy’ with 94% attendance De Souza told a fringe event at the Conservative party annual conference this week in Birmingham: 鈥淚 think the civil servants are happy with 94 [per cent]. I’m not.鈥 She suggested schools would normally 鈥渂e looking at 98鈥 at the start of term, which her office said was based on her own experience as a teacher and head. 鈥淭he issue hasn鈥檛 gone away.鈥 de Souza The DfE鈥檚 dashboard is designed to give schools, councils and officials real-time data and comparison tools, and de Souza said it meant 鈥渢he right actions can be taken鈥. But Robert Halfon, the Conservative chair of the education select committee, warned in an op-ed for The House magazine this week that recorded absences 鈥渞epresent only those children known to authorities鈥. The pair have welcomed planned registers of children not in school, but the schools bill it forms part of has been delayed. Halfon said it 鈥渃annot be implemented quickly enough鈥, and urged 鈥減roactive action鈥 on persistent absence, noting one council reported attendance staff having 3,000 cases each. 鈥淭he cohort of ghost pupils must be placed at the top of the new education secretary鈥檚 in-tray.鈥 Councils may have to ‘divert funding’ Meanwhile Tony Bell, who leads the education arm of the union Prospect, said councils would be forced to 鈥渄ivert funding鈥 to pay for new attendance duties introduced this term. They include 鈥渞igorously鈥 tracking data, and providing free support to all schools with communication, advice, termly support meetings, multi-disciplinary support and legal intervention. The Local Government Association said it supported the principles, but warned DfE analysis 鈥渄oes not adequately capture the additional workload鈥 and costs. The government has predicted reforms will save councils a combined 拢274,743 a year, assuming they copy the approach of several authorities said to be meeting new standards already. But it refused to name its favoured councils after a Schools Week freedom of information request, despite acknowledging it may 鈥渁id鈥 others. It said it involved confidential and commercially sensitive information, and risked limiting future information-sharing. Bell called it 鈥渄isappointing鈥 and 鈥渟urprising, as the DfE said it wanted 鈥渢o share good practice.鈥 Responding to attendance figures, Kit Malthouse, the education secretary, said this week 鈥渆very day counts鈥, and the dashboard marked a 鈥渟ignificant step鈥 in tackling absence. A government spokesperson also highlighted a one-to-one attendance pilot launched this term in Middlesbrough.