Why Attendance Matters More Than Ever: Exploring the DfE’s 2025 Research Priorities

Author: Melissa Warwick – Operations Manager, A Star Attendance Solutions

Why Attendance Matters More Than Ever: Exploring the DfE’s 2025 Research Priorities

Improving school attendance has always been a cornerstone of raising educational standards, but in 2025, it’s at the heart of national policy and research. The Department for Education (DfE) has released its updated Areas of Research Interest, and among the most pressing themes is school attendance – now recognised not just as an operational challenge, but as a strategic priority that impacts long-term life chances for children.

In this blog, we explore the DfE’s renewed focus on attendance, the research questions driving this work, and why it matters for schools, families, and communities.

Why Attendance is a National Priority

Attendance is far more than a register entry; it’s a key predictor of academic success, wellbeing, and future economic outcomes. Evidence continues to show that children who attend school regularly are more likely to perform well in exams, stay in education, and progress into fulfilling employment.

But since the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance patterns have shifted. Rates of persistent and severe absence have increased, and with them, concerns about disengagement, inequality, and lost potential.

The DfE recognises this. That’s why attendance has been highlighted in their latest research strategy – not just as a statistical trend, but as a complex, multi-layered issue that demands nuanced evidence and tailored solutions.

DfE’s Core Research Questions on Attendance (2025)

The DfE outlines several key questions in its April 2025 publication (p. 17), aimed at driving deeper understanding and actionable change:

  1. What (individual, school and wider) factors contribute to different types of absences (low-level, persistent, and severe)? Are there significant differences in the root causes of these various types, or differences by age?
  2.  What factors influence parental attitudes to school attendance and what can we do to address them?
  3. What types of practice and/or interventions (including both by schools and other parties such as local authorities), work to prevent or reduce the different types of absence (including low-level, persistent and severe absence) and how do they affect other outcomes (including wellbeing)?
  4.  What conditions need to be in place for schools and/or local authorities to effectively implement these interventions?
  5. How do we ensure that all children have strong attendance during transitions from primary to secondary school? (See also ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ on transitions)
  6. What is the experience of those outside mainstream education (whether being home schooled, excluded from school, in Alternative Provision, attending special schools or Young Offender Institutions) and their parents? Where relevant: how and when could/should these children be helped back into mainstream education?
  7. What are the (individual and wider) costs of non-attendance across a child’s lifetime, both in the short-term and long-term, and how do they vary for different groups?

The Challenge and Opportunity for Schools

These questions are not just for policymakers. They provide schools, trusts, and education professionals with a framework for innovation, evidence-building, and collaboration. Whether it’s using data more intelligently, tailoring family engagement strategies, or trialling new pastoral approaches, schools play a critical role in turning insight into impact.

Equally, there’s a growing expectation that interventions must go beyond enforcement to address root causes – mental health, poverty, SEND needs, trauma, and more.

 Looking Ahead: A Collaborative Mission

The DfE’s focus on attendance is not just about getting children through the gates – it’s about ensuring they can engage, achieve, and thrive. By investing in research and listening to practitioners, policymakers aim to develop fair, effective systems that give every child the chance to succeed.

For organisations like ours at A Star Attendance Solutions, this national mission resonates deeply. We are proud to support schools and communities in building attendance cultures rooted in empathy, consistency, and ambition.

As the DfE’s 2025 agenda makes clear, the future of attendance policy lies in evidence, collaboration, and child-centred practice.

The stakes are high – but so is the potential for change!