What can schools do about record absences?

The pandemic disrupted schooling everywhere. But since then record numbers of children have not returned to regular schooling. Data from the Department for Education show that persistent absence - missing roughly seven days a term - is now at a record high. So is this a blip affecting a Covid cohort or a worrying trend toward a breakdown in the social contract between society and school? David Aaronovitch talks to: Branwen Jeffreys, BBC’s Education Editor

Katie Beynon, Statistician at FFT Education Datalab

Sam Freedman, Senior fellow at the Institute for Government

Emily Hunt, Associate Director Social Mobility and Vulnerable Learners at the Education Institute Policy Produced by: Kirsteen Knight, Sam Haque and Claire Bowes

Edited by: Richard Vadon

Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar

Production co-ordinator: Debbie Richford and Sophie Hill.