Responding to Labour's plans to address issues with school attendance if the party wins the next general election, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said:

“Labour is right to prioritise tackling this issue. There is no doubt that data on attendance remains a real concern and too many pupils are still not attending school on a regular or frequent enough basis. Over the last decade, a combination of austerity and neglect has led to the disappearance of many of the crucial local attendance services that schools used to rely on. It is also clear that growing levels of poverty have exacerbated the issue.

"Should Labour win the next election, then this really should be a high priority. The promise of greater support for mental health is welcome, but we would urge Labour to go further and commit to tackling the underlying issues and rebuilding the support services that have been eroded. There is no escaping the reality here that proper investment will be required if we are to get to the heart of this issue.”

Commenting specifically on the party announcing it would introduce a national register of children who are not in school, Mr Whiteman added: "NAHT has long called for an official register of home educated children and the sooner this is delivered, the better. All education settings and parents should have a duty to provide information to local authorities, enabling them to maintain an up-to-date register.

“Our members worry about the safeguarding of children not in school. Children at risk could be missed, with neither school nor local authority knowing for certain what has happened to them. Without an officially maintained register, there remains the danger of children becoming lost outside the system."