Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide additional funding to those schools with the largest proportion of pupils receiving free school meals, to pay for interventions aimed at increasing levels of school attendance.

Enabling every child, irrespective of their background, to realise their potential at school has been at the centre of this government’s education policy since 2010. We are committed to supporting all disadvantaged pupils in England and have put in place several significant policy measures to help schools address the barriers to success that these pupils face.

It is important that children attend school for their education, well-being, mental health and long-term development. The department has appointed a team of expert attendance advisers that are working closely with a number of local authorities and multi-academy trusts (MATs) who are keen to improve their attendance practice and reduce persistent absence. They will support MATs and local authorities to review their current approach and help them to develop action plans to improve. The government’s Supporting Families programme also continues to work with families where attendance issues are a significant concern.

Since 2011, the pupil premium has provided schools with additional money to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils, including through approaches to boost access to education such as attendance interventions. £2.5 billion of pupil premium is being distributed in the current financial year.

The government is also providing an additional £1.3 billion for a recovery premium this academic year and over the next two academic years (2022/23 and 2023/24), which will help schools deliver evidence-based approaches to support the most disadvantaged pupils. Recovery premium allocations are based on pupil premium eligibility to ensure that schools with the most disadvantaged pupils, including those that receive free school meals, receive the highest amounts.

School leaders are encouraged to use their pupil premium, and recovery premium funding to support their disadvantaged pupils, based on diagnosis of their specific needs, including those relating to any attendance issues, and to invest in proven practice to improve outcomes. The Education Endowment Foundation recommends that schools spend this funding on activities that:

• Support the quality of teaching, such as staff professional development.
• Provide targeted academic support, such as tutoring.
• Tackle non-academic barriers to success in school, such as attendance, behaviour, and social and emotional support.