Meet Sean. He enjoyed school, for the most part. His primary school experience was mixed, but overall, he found learning fun and looked forward to the transition to secondary school.
Year 7 proved to be a turning point. His attendance declined. A blend of personal struggles, circumstances, and ongoing health issues, particularly migraines, made learning more complex.
Even at the age of 11, he grasped a hard truth; the more learning he missed, the harder it was to get back into it. He didn’t need to be a child psychologist or a PhD researcher in education to see that learning gaps widened with every absence. ‘Catch up’ learning seemed like running up a downwards escalator.
Speaking of running, there was also the issue of PE lessons….
Sean was not ‘naturally’ sporty. He had tried to cultivate a love for Liverpool FC like his sibling. His family had adorned the shared-bedroom wall with Liverpool scarves, a sea of red and white devotion. But the thrill of football eluded him. Perhaps, even then, he was more captivated by the bigger questions of life than by the tribal passion of opposing teams battling for supremacy on a pitch (Spoiler alert! He didn’t become @ThatSportyGuy!)
Rugby and football felt less like learning and more like hardship; gruelling, bruising rituals. The futile attempts to tackle boys who towered over him, the weekly ordeal of an hour on a cold and muddy field, the post-PE lesson ritual of sweaty changing rooms and communal showers (it was the early 90s, they were a thing!) It all seemed designed to remind him of what he lacked.
Avoiding school on Fridays became a strategy, a discrete rebellion against aspects of school. Staying home (or at least heading to his grandparents) was easier than enduring it. Education was a hardship that it was easier to avoid at times.
At the time, the school introduced a ‘well intentioned’ strategy to try and raise attendance standards. Any tutor group achieving 100% attendance that week would be rewarded with a non-uniform day the following week. It was a policy that unwittingly sharpened the lines between those who could attend and those who could not. Sean remembers the frustrations of his peers on one occasion in the school yard; boys confronting him about how his Friday absence had cost the whole group their non-uniform day. He felt their disappointment, but it was easier to face than the pressure of keeping up with the latest fashion on a non-uniform day. It also meant that he didn’t have to do PE and face more mud, sweat and showers.
But it wasn’t just his peers noticing.
A teacher spotted the pattern, saw beyond the surface, and intervened. Small adjustments were made; he was never quite sure what went on behind the scenes, but gradually, things changed. His attendance improved. He found himself drawn into school life through drama performances, mentoring, and the encouragement of teachers who believed in him. Somewhere along the way, school began to feel less like an obstacle and more like a place it made sense to belong in.
In a slightly ironic twist, Sean secured a spot on the cricket team (albeit the B-Team) and found an unexpected enjoyment in cross-country running by Year 10. PE didn’t feel like an ordeal and absence no longer the inevitable consequence of other hardships.
Attendance seemed attainable and belonging believable.
There was no silver bullet or instant fix. But at the core of this was a simple truth which has informed my belief as an educationalist today. Poor attendance is rarely the problem… it’s the symptom.
Is it a case of swapping shoes for slippers?
Attendance is back in the tabloids.
It is being reported that Ofsted’s chief inspector has indicated that rising school absenteeism might be linked to the growing prevalence of remote working. Sir Martyn Oliver argues, according to the Times, that the decline in daily office commutes has disrupted established routines, replacing the habit of ‘putting your shoes on instead of your slippers’ with a more relaxed approach to daily life, impacting children’s commitment to regular school attendance.
I’m not convinced it’s about swapping shoes for slippers….
It is well documented that there have been rises in the number of people facing ‘in-work’ poverty within the UK. The Health Foundation reports that in 2022/23, 17% of individuals in families with high work intensity lived in poverty, an increase from 15% in 2021/22. This might seem marginal, but a more recent report from Joseph Rowntree Foundation (UK Poverty 2025) shows that families with children also face additional challenges if childcare responsibilities limit their ability to undertake well-paid and high-quality work, which can often be the case for lone-parent families and families with younger children (as well as for larger families).
This analysis from the Social Metrics Commission (Nov, 2024) shows that employment alone does not guarantee financial stability.
On the topic of remote work, data shows that higher-income individuals are more likely to have the option to work from home. Accenture's research during the COVID-19 pandemic found that nearly two-thirds (64%) of the UK's working population were able to work remotely, with higher earners more likely to have this flexibility. This disparity highlights a digital divide, where families with lower incomes often lack the resources and infrastructure to support home-based work. This paper from Sanchez et al (2021) shows that globally, 1 of every 5 jobs can be performed from home. In low-income countries, this ratio drops to a staggering 1 in 26 jobs.
A research briefing from government (2022) indicates that the inability to work from home can be closely correlated to job type, sector and qualification. Higher-paid professionals in industries like communication and technical fields are more likely to work remotely, while those in lower-paid, skilled trades and service jobs have less flexibility. Educational attainment also plays a role, with those holding higher qualifications being more likely to work remotely. Geographic disparities persist on this topic too, with London and the South-East having the highest remote work rates. These trends highlight that those in lower-income and less flexible jobs are at a disadvantage and often without the option of ‘putting your shoes on instead of your slippers’
As regular readers know, I can’t resist a link to place-based understanding. Attributing the rise in absenteeism to a single factor, such as increased remote working among higher earners, oversimplifies the complexity of this issue. For example, the figures on persistent absence, pupils missing at least 10 per cent of classes , show that England does not even have the worst rate in the UK. As evidenced in this recent feature by Emma Seith (TES, Feb 2025), the complexity of school absence is not limited to families or schools in the UK.
(Source: TES, 2025)
We need to put a sock, never mind slippers, in any argument that points to family work arrangements as a sole cause of absenteeism.
There are many interconnected factors involved, and without solid evidence or detailed statis, singling out one cause is not only oversimplified but potentially damaging - especially to families that we know are struggling. A more nuanced approach, one that considers a range of social and economic influences, is critical for understanding and tackling these challenges.
Too skint for school?
While not every child or young person struggling with attendance issues faces poverty or disadvantage, for many families, these challenges are a day-to-day reality. Research shows that social and economic upheaval in recent years has left a growing number of families in undeniable financial hardship (JRF 2025; ONS 2025; Child Poverty Action Group 2024)
Data highlights links between poverty, hardship and poor school attendance. Absence rates are significantly higher among students on free school meals (FSM). According to DfE data (Oct, 2024), the overall absence rate for FSM eligible pupils was almost twice that for non FSM eligible pupils, 10.6% compared to 5.6%. Persistent absence rates were more than double, 33.0% for FSM eligible pupils and 13.8% for non FSM eligible pupils.
A further analysis from the Child of the North (2024) shows that in 2023-24 persistent non-attendance rates overall were 20.7% overall, increasing to 37% for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and 35.7% for those receiving free school meals. The persistent absence rate for pupils with an Education Health Care Plan was 37.6% – substantially higher than for those without special needs (18.6%). 39% of pupils identified as young carers were persistently absent from school.
A recent report by the Centre for Young Lives (Dec, 2024) also shows us how poverty is impacting children’s access to education. The Too Skint for School report highlights the rising number of FSM-eligible students missing school due to financial struggles.
Since the pandemic, children from low-income backgrounds are more than twice as likely to miss school regularly. In some areas facing high levels of disadvantage, such as Bradford, FSM-eligible students are over three times more likely to be persistently absent. The report also shares stories of families struggling to provide basic necessities. Some children miss school simply because they lack suitable shoes or a PE kit. Others are absent because their families cannot afford the bus fare let alone slippers to wear under their remote work desk.
It is an uncomfortable truth that FSM-eligible students are over twice as likely to be persistently absent compared to their more affluent peers.
The cost of hardship and learning
Income and poverty-related barriers to learning present explicit and implicit obstacles to attending school. These aren’t always clear to educators or leaders of national organisations. Examples include…
Health: Poverty is closely linked to poorer health and wellbeing. Families in financial hardship are more likely to face chronic health issues, meaning illness, whether affecting the child or a family member, can become a more frequent and serious barrier to school attendance (Marmot, 2021; UCL 2024)
Food insecurity: A limited or inadequate diet can have profound effects on concentration and overall wellbeing. The rising cost of living is making it increasingly difficult for low-income families to access nutritious food (Trussell Trust, 2024), impacting children’s energy levels, focus, and ability to access learning.
Hidden costs: Despite being free at the point of access, state education still carries financial burdens. Many low-income families struggle to afford essentials such as uniforms, school trips, and extracurricular activities (CPAG, 2023). This is why initiatives such as Poverty Proofing the School Day are so important.
Neurological development: Some research has shown that poverty can affect brain development and executive functioning, making it harder for children to focus, process information, and regulate their emotions in a classroom setting (Blair & Raver, 2016; Harris, 2022). This can impact access to learning and motivation to engage.
Learning experience: Long-term economic hardship can make academic success feel unattainable. When children from disadvantaged backgrounds struggle to achieve in school, their overall experience becomes more discouraging, making attendance less appealing (Wagmiller, 2015).
Housing and living conditions: Klein et al. (2020) examined how different aspects of socio-economic background, such as parental education, housing status, and neighbourhood deprivation, predict school absences. A study of over 4,600 secondary school students in Scotland found that all these factors were correlated with school attendance. Key findings included:
Children living in social housing and those with parents who have lower educational attainment faced the highest risk of persistent absence.
Socioeconomic disadvantage was linked to higher rates of truancy, sickness-related absences, and exclusions.
Swapping slippers for solutions…
Policymakers and leaders must recognise that school attendance cannot be reduced to simplistic narratives about remote working arrangements.
Addressing this issue requires acute assessment, not assumptions, particularly if schools are to effectively support children and families from low-income backgrounds. Furthermore, let’s be mindful about laying the accountability solely in the shoes (or slippers….. ) of families and working parents.
While many schools work hard to help children facing poverty-related barriers to learning, others can too easily overlook the financial barriers that contribute to poor attendance. Rather than providing support, it is arguably too simple to react with punitive measures. This can further cement aspects of hardship too (e.g. school fines!). It is also important to acknowledge that the education system and policy often reinforces these disciplinary approaches, framing them as ‘best practice’. So, I don’t intend to lay blame here at school leaders working to improve attendance.
The Centre for Young Lives urges a more compassionate approach by recognising the financial realities many families face. To break links between poverty and school absence, the Too Skint for School report proposes several key policy changes:
Abolishing the two-child limit on Universal Credit would bring some immediate relief to families in need. Some are missing out on up to £3,455 a year per child.
Expanding FSM eligibility to include all children in families receiving Universal Credit. Too many children continue to miss out on FSM.
Reducing branded school uniform requirements to make uniforms more affordable.
Updating attendance guidelines to acknowledge poverty and hardship as contributing factors to absence.
Providing financial relief through schools to support families in crisis.
The government has pledged to tackle child poverty, but without concrete measures to address the financial barriers to education, these problems will persist. Ensuring every child has the opportunity to attend school, regardless of their family’s income, must be a national priority.
No family should have to choose between survival and their child’s education.
As Anne Longfield states….
“A lack of money should never stop a child from attending school”
Anne Longfield: Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives
Further Resources
I have written about some of the ways that school leaders and educators can tackle this issue at a local/school level in this article with SecEd (2024).
Resources are provided in this forthcoming book to support school leaders and educators in understanding disadvantage in their context and other ways to create schools of belonging. More about it here
This report from Child of the North (2024) features a plethora of case studies and examples of schools and organisations that are successfully working to tackle absence and inequalities around attendance.
