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Educational Visits: Attendance

Asked by Rupert LoweRestore BritainDepartment for EducationTabled Answered 7 August 2026UIN 17864

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department's guidance permits schools to make participation in school events, trips, and extracurricular activities conditional on achieving a minimum attendance rate.

Answered by Paul Waugh

The department’s guidance does not prescribe how school attendance rewards and incentives are applied. Decisions about their operation are generally matters for individual schools, reflecting their circumstances and the needs of their pupils.

Where schools choose to link attendance to access to particular activities, we would expect them to do so carefully, proportionately and without discrimination. They should consider reward systems that are inclusive and appropriate for all pupils including those with disabilities or long-term health conditions.

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