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<p>Improving attendance remains a top priority for the department. This is why it
has launched a national communications campaign to remind families that “moments matter,
attendance counts”.</p><p>The campaign reflects feedback from schools and local authorities
and aims to primarily reach those parents whose children are taking preventable odd
days of absence, or “avoidable absence”. It builds on NHS guidance and messages from
the Chief Medical Officer’s letter to schools to reassure families that children can
attend school with a mild cough or cold and that prolonged period of absence is likely
to heighten a child’s anxiety about attending school in the future. The guidance can
be found here: <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/"
target="_blank">https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/</a>,
and the letter can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-school-leaders-on-mild-illness-and-school-attendance/letter-to-school-leaders-on-mild-illness-and-school-attendance"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-school-leaders-on-mild-illness-and-school-attendance/letter-to-school-leaders-on-mild-illness-and-school-attendance</a>.</p><p>The
campaign is not aimed at parents of children who face greater barriers to attendance,
such as pupils with long term medical conditions. Campaign materials shared with schools
and local authorities reminded them that strategies to increase attendance should
take a ‘support first’ approach in all instances. The department’s ‘Working together
to improve school attendance’ guidance expects schools to have sensitive conversations
with children and families and work with them to put support in place for their individual
needs. This guidance is available here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63049617e90e0729e63d3953/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance.pdf"
target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63049617e90e0729e63d3953/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance.pdf</a>.
Schools must also follow the ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’
statutory guidance that outlines the support that pupils with medical conditions must
receive at school so they have full access to education and it is available here:
<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf"
target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf</a>.</p>
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