Commenting as the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) publish new research that looks at how to improve pupil attendance, James Bowen, director of policy for school leaders' union NAHT, said:

“As all schools know, tackling persistent absenteeism requires a great deal of hard work, persistence and a range of different professionals working together to tackle the underlying issues facing pupils and families.

“Schools are certainly very experienced in this and will have a range of strategies to draw on. That being said, examples of additional evidenced-based strategies would certainly be welcome.

“Local Authorities, along with other agencies, can play a vital role in supporting schools in this work but they require sufficient funding to do so. We know that many have had to scale back the support they are able to offer schools as a result of financial pressures.

“The reality is that most of this work does have a cost implication. We share the government’s ambition to ensure that every child has good attendance, and hope they are prepared to match that ambition with the appropriate level of resources.”