How can we address the persisting issue of school absences in Wales?

When children miss school, they miss more than lessons. School provides opportunities to learn, build relationships and access support, making it an important factor in children’s wellbeing and future outcomes.

Yet school attendance remains a significant challenge across the UK, with attendance rates yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. In Wales, the issue is particularly important, with attendance remaining lower than other UK nations despite recent improvements elsewhere.

To help identify what might improve attendance, colleagues from the Public Mental Health Implementation Centre (RCPsych), the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (RCPsych), National Centre for Suicide Prevention & Self-harm Research and the Dyfodol programme (RCPsych) conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of school attendance interventions, with the support of Kings College London and the Population Mental Health Consortium. The findings were published on 2 September 2026 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health and can be read in full here.

Why should we care about school attendance?

When children are regularly absent from school, the effects can extend far beyond the classroom. Persistent school absence is linked to poorer educational, health and social outcomes, and often occurs alongside mental and physical ill-health, poverty, housing instability, and other social determinants of health. Improving school attendance is therefore about more than increasing time in school; it is also an important step towards improving children’s wellbeing and reducing health and social inequalities, both now and into the future.

What can we do about it?

With school attendance a policy priority in Wales, an important question is what schools and services can do to support children to attend regularly. Drawing on evidence from 61 randomised controlled trials, we found no single solution to improving school attendance, reflecting the many different reasons why children may miss school. However, the evidence suggests that schools can make a difference through approaches that strengthen relationships with parents and guardians, with parental engagement interventions showing the most consistent positive effects on attendance. Mentoring and more targeted support for children facing barriers to attendance also showed positive effects, although the evidence base was mixed.

What next for Wales?

The review highlights an important message: improving attendance is unlikely to be achieved through a one-size-fits-all approach. Children miss school for many different reasons, including mental health difficulties, physical health problems, family circumstances and wider socioeconomic pressures. Effective responses therefore need to be equally diverse and consider a child’s individual needs.

For Wales, this presents an opportunity. By bringing together education, health, local authorities and communities, we can focus on addressing the factors driving absence. Strengthening relationships with families, identifying difficulties early and providing tailored support may not only help children remain connected to education, but also improve their wellbeing and long-term outcomes.

As Wales continues to prioritise attendance, understanding which approaches work best in Welsh schools and communities will be essential for developing effective, sustainable solutions to school absence. Our review provides an important starting point for that conversation.

Jessica Barrett

Strelitz J, Barrett JR, Elango N, et al. Interventions to improve school attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence from randomised controlled trials. J Epidemiol Community Health. Published online first: 1 September 2026. doi: 10.1136/jech-2025-225671