A system of letters and fines, with the possibility of prosecution, has been part of many schools’ attendance policy for years. With children forced to stay home and at least a slight change in Ofsted's tone, is it time to consider a new approach in the post-lockdown world?

Having a clear and structured approach to behaviour and attendance is considered vital for any and every school. Advice has always been that there needs to be consistency in the way that policies are applied across a school.

But at what point should automatic application give way to a more bespoke approach?

Should a standard letter warning about the implications of 90 per cent attendance be sent out to a family where the child is a carer, for example?

Should a pupil whose only absence was for an unavoidable medical appointment miss out on their 100 per cent attendance certificate?

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