All posts tagged: attendance

Worship attendance at churches up for the first time in decades, according to new report

Worship attendance at churches up for the first time in decades, according to new report

Published by Sam Flores

ATLANTA (RNS) — The past 25 years have been rough for American churches and other houses of worship. The median worship attendance dropped by more than half. Church closures and the rise of the nones — those who claim no religion — have grabbed all the headlines. And faith in institutions like organized religion has plummeted. Yet a new report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research shows signs of a shift — for the first time in two decades, attendance is up. More people are volunteering, and there also seems to be a renewed sense of optimism among pastors and other clergy. “The headline finding is cautious optimism,” Alison Norton, co-director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, told reporters at the annual conference of the Religion News Association, meeting in Atlanta. She added that the data showed a story of resilience and recalibration. “Across a range of indicators, there are signs of recovery and, in some cases, renewal,” the study’s authors wrote in a report released Friday (April 24), which surveyed a representative …

Surge in Young Men’s Church Attendance: Key Insights – OpentheWord.org

Surge in Young Men’s Church Attendance: Key Insights – OpentheWord.org

Published by Sam Flores

Two men praying together at a church in Beijing, China Credit: Sam Balye/unsplash.com Polls by Gallup over the past few years have uncovered a growing interest in religion among young men. A survey conducted in 2024 and 2025 found that 42% of men aged 18 to 29 said that religion was ‘very important’ to them. Equally significant this interest has climbed dramatically in recent years. A similar survey of men in this age group in 2022 to 2023 found only 28% of young men said that religion was very important. In a matter of two years, the percentage has nearly doubled. But the survey wasn’t all good news. It also found that women in this same age group were lagging behind. The 2024 t0 2025 survey revealed that only 29% of women stated that religion was ‘very important’. Young men’s growing interest in religion is also showing up in church attendance. Forty percent of young men stated that they attended a religious service at least once a month in 2024 t0 2025 up from 33% …

Attendance gap for poorer pupils reaches all-time high

Attendance gap for poorer pupils reaches all-time high

Published by skeptic

Overall absence and persistent absence rates see improvements, but severe absence remains stubborn Overall absence and persistent absence rates see improvements, but severe absence remains stubborn Absence rates improved in the last academic year, but the overall attendance gap for poorer pupils reached the highest level since current records began. New data published by the Department for Education shows overall absence rates fell from 7.15 per cent to 6.78 per cent between 2023-24 and 2024-25. Persistent absence – when pupils miss the equivalent of an afternoon a week – also fell from 19.95 per cent in 2023-24 to 18.14 per cent in 2024-25. But severe absence – when pupils miss school more frequently than they attend – rose slightly from 2.30 to 2.39 per cent 2024-25. 1. Mixed picture for poorer pupils… Analysis shows a widened overall attendance gap for poorer pupils, but a narrowed persistent absence and severe absence gap. There is now a 5.19 percentage point gap between the attendance rates of pupils eligible for free school meals and their non-eligible peers, rising …

How many fans are at the Super Bowl 2026? Levi’s Stadium attendance details

How many fans are at the Super Bowl 2026? Levi’s Stadium attendance details

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Super Bowl is projected to generate a $500 million boost to the local economy around the Bay Area. Read that again slowly. $500 million. It is quite simply the biggest US sporting event of any given year, transcending sport and stopping a nation in its tracks, for a few primetime hours at least. Over 100 million Americans will tune in for the Big Game on Sunday night, but only a relatively select few will be in attendance at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara – home of the San Francisco 49ers – to watch the New England Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks in a duel for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Radio Times brings you the expected Super Bowl attendance for 2026. How many fans are at the Super Bowl? We expect the Super Bowl LX attendance to sit around 64,500. This is an estimate based on a range of factors detailed below. Levi’s Stadium boasts a base capacity of 68,500 but can be extended up to approximately 75,000 for major events. Total capacity has not …

29 more lead schools revealed

29 more lead schools revealed

Published by skeptic

Schools Week obtains list of additional lead schools, with several more due to be announced later this week Schools Week obtains list of additional lead schools, with several more due to be announced later this week More from this theme Recent articles The names of 29 more schools that will become lead schools for the government’s attendance and behaviour hubs programme have been revealed. It means the names of 86 of the planned 90 hub lead schools are now known, after 21 were announced in August and a further 36 in November. The list of new hubs has not yet been published, but most are named in a letter seen by Schools Week, dated January 9 and addressed to council attendance leads from Simon Blake, deputy director of the Department for Education’s attendance division. The attendance and behaviour hubs are the result of Labour’s decision to merge two of the last government’s schemes – and come with much less funding attached. The Conservatives’ behaviour hubs programme received £10 million of funding, although its record after …

Merging behaviour and attendance ‘bothered’ me

Merging behaviour and attendance ‘bothered’ me

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles Ofsted boss Sir Martyn Oliver has admitted merging the behaviour and attendance judgment areas in the watchdog’s new inspections “did bother” him “tremendously”. At BETT UK in London today, an audience member asked Oliver about the joint “attendance behaviour” judgment, warning it was particularly difficult for schools in “highly deprived” areas where attendance might be lower. Responding, Oliver stressed his “original intent” was to have behaviour and attendance as separate areas. Ofsted’s initial plans, proposed distinct judgment areas for “attendance” and “behaviour and attitudes”. But Oliver said that during Ofsted’s consultation “many people, many organisations” said “very clearly there were too many areas [and they’d] want to see a number of them combined”. “And the areas that they talked about combining were curriculum and teaching, and attendance and behaviour.” ‘I did tell you so’ Under the final framework judgments were condensed, reducing the overall minimum number of judgment areas for schools from eight to six. “I have to say, it did bother me tremendously,” said Oliver. “At the start…my …

Religious attendance linked to better mental health in older adults

Religious attendance linked to better mental health in older adults

Published by José Betancourt

Older adults who participate in religious services often report better mental health than those who do not, but the reasons for this benefit have not been fully understood. A new study suggests that the connection is partly explained by an increase in psychological well-being, which acts as a bridge between religious attendance and reduced rates of anxiety and depression. By fostering a sense of purpose and self-acceptance, religious involvement appears to provide a protective buffer against mental distress over time. These findings were published recently in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. As the global population ages, mental health challenges among the elderly have become a pressing public health concern. The World Health Organization estimates that a substantial portion of individuals over the age of 60 suffer from mental disorders. Depression and anxiety are particularly common in this demographic. These conditions reduce quality of life and place a heavy strain on families and healthcare systems. Geriatric researchers have sought to identify factors that might protect against these declines in mental health. Previous investigations have frequently …

Lessons for England on using AI to stop absence

Lessons for England on using AI to stop absence

Published by skeptic

While ‘carrot and stick’ initiatives can make a difference to improving attendance, what’s really needed for long-term improvement is a more strategic approach, using data to truly understand what’s going wrong and why. The problem is there’s so much attendance data – one year group over one academic year in our school alone takes up 300,000 rows in Excel. But what if you could use artificial intelligence to spot trends, identify areas for improvement and perhaps even stop absenteeism before it occurs? We were already using Microsoft Copilot for exam results analysis, so we decided to give it a go.  It took us a while to get the correct prompts, simplify the data, and present it in a language parents would appreciate. After some trial and error, we ended up with a succinct report for each pupil, an ‘attendance profile’ showing their strengths and areas for development. Most importantly, we had a level of detail and insight into attendance that we never had before. We sent these reports to parents for the first time this …

Behaviour and attendance hub support details shared by DfE

Behaviour and attendance hub support details shared by DfE

Published by skeptic

Details shared for ‘regional’ and ‘enhanced’ support pathways as part of newly merged hubs Details shared for ‘regional’ and ‘enhanced’ support pathways as part of newly merged hubs More from this theme Recent articles More details have been revealed for how the government’s behaviour and attendance hubs will work, with schools being offered either “regional” or “enhanced” support pathways. The Department for Education is launching 90 behaviour and attendance hubs across England, with 57 already open. Former government behaviour tsar Tom Bennett and former headteacher Jayne Lowe are ambassadors of the scheme. The scheme allows schools with strong practice to support others in the area through sharing effective practice. While 5,000 schools will receive regional support, 500 settings with “significant behaviour and attendance challenges” will receive “intensive, targeted help”. New guidance published today says regional support will be available for “the majority of schools that want light-touch support”. Partner schools will have access to a “structured attendance and behaviour CPD offer” as part of this pathway, with opportunities to visit lead schools once a term …

School runs persistent absence awareness courses for parents

School runs persistent absence awareness courses for parents

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles An inner-London primary school is tackling persistent absence rates by calling in parents for “attendance awareness courses” on the long-term impact of missing lessons. Netley Primary School, in Camden, says it has improved attendance rates for 75 per cent of pupils whose parents participated in the courses, with parents also avoiding fines in the process. The school’s work is being highlighted in a report to Camden council as it looks to share best practice across the borough, which has particularly stubborn absence rates. One in five pupils in Camden are persistently absent – missing 10 per cent of sessions a year – according to Camden Learning, a school-led improvement organisation. ‘Overprotective’ parents Across the capital, Camden ranks 29th out of 32 boroughs for worst primary attendance rates and 30th for secondary school absence. The council issued 602 fixed penalty notices for absence last year. The borough also has the highest sickness absence rates in inner London. Gareth Morris Gareth Morris, headteacher at Netley Primary School, said that although parents …