'Why can they not see what’s going on when so many are telling them?'

Parents and professionals have criticised the government's 'lack of understanding' over poor school attendance.

As pupils return to classrooms for the new academic year, education secretary Bridget Phillipson has been warning families of the dangers of poor attendance, saying schools and parents should 'double down' to get children into class.

"If children miss a day or two in the first couple of weeks of term, they're more likely to go on to be persistently absent," she told the BBC , adding that it impacts on their life chances.

Attendance has been a major issue since the pandemic and despite improving over recent years, rates are still higher than pre-Covid levels.

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