Children across England are set to gain millions more days of learning as the government launches an urgent drive to restore school attendance to pre-pandemic levels.

The Education Secretary announced that every school will now receive an individual minimum attendance improvement target, powered by AI, as part of the government’s Plan for Change. This follows last year’s success, which saw 5.3 million extra days in school and 140,000 fewer persistently absent pupils – the biggest improvement in a decade.

From this month, schools will receive Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectations tailored to their circumstances, including location, pupil needs, and deprivation. AI will also link schools to high-performing peers with similar profiles to share best practice.