Janet is a significant member of the House of Lords as she frequently publishes questions for the Government to respond. She is eighty-eight years of age, is based in East Sussex and was a Labour MP in London from 1966-1970. Since 1999 she has been a member of the House of Lords. On the 5th of August she published four questions about Schools Attendance directed to the Department for Education. Baroness Smith of Malvern, Jacqui Smith, the Minister of State (Education), responded. Here are Janet’s four questions and the response from Jacqui:

Janet: To ask His Majesty’s Government:

what consultation with Gypsy and Traveller families they undertook with regard to the use and implications of the term “mobile child” in the statutory guidance Working together to improve school attendance, published on 29 February.

how they will ensure that the use of the term “mobile child” in the statutory guidance Working together to improve school attendance, published on 29 February, does not adversely and unfairly affect Traveller children.

how they plan to ensure that Traveller families understand what the term “mobile child” means, as used in the statutory guidance Working together to improve school attendance, published on 29 February.

what steps they plan to take to provide clarity and support to local authorities with regard to the implementation of obligations associated with the concept of “mobile child” as used in the statutory guidance Working together to improve school attendance, published on 29 February.

Jacqui: The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 and accompanying statutory guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ use the term ‘mobile child’ to describe a child of compulsory school age who has no fixed abode and whose parent is engaged in a trade or business that requires them to move from place to place. This is a new term, but covers the same children as section 444(6) of the Education Act 1996.

Parents of mobile children have longstanding protection in attendance law and guidance, including how absence is recorded in the register, but feedback from parents, schools and local authorities suggested inconsistency in how these are applied. The term ‘mobile child’ is intended to clarify that the provisions are for all pupils who meet the definition as set out in regulation 3 of the 2024 Pupil Registration Regulations (and the statutory guidance) and that they concern the child’s mobility rather than ethnicity.

A draft of the new Regulations and guidance was subject to full public consultation in 2022 and training has been provided both to schools and local authorities to improve consistency and support implementation. The department will continue to monitor feedback on implementation during the 2024/25 academic year