The new measures include the introduction of a national attendance dashboard for schools to access from late September and the launch of a three-year attendance mentoring pilot aimed at tackling the factors behind non-attendance such as bullying or mental health issues.
The mentoring pilot will launch in Middlesbrough this term before extending to other areas next year.
It “will provide tailored support to over 1,600 persistently and severely absent pupils over the three-year period,” according to the DfE.
The new measures come following recommendations made around attendance in the schools white paper.
It also includes new best practice guidance “on improving attendance for schools, trusts and local authorities”.
“The guidance makes clear that schools should provide individualised support to families that need it, for example through referrals to other organisations and services, including councils, and issue fines and other sanctions where absence is unauthorised,” the DfE says.
Children’s commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza has also set a target to see 100 per cent attendance as schools return.
Education Secretary James Cleverly said: “I want to wish all pupils starting the new school year the very best of luck. From making new friends to learning from inspirational teachers, this is a really exciting time for them.
“All the evidence shows that being in school is vital for helping pupils achieve their potential. That is why it is so important for them to attend every day they possibly can.”
Meanwhile, new rules, also recommended in the schools white paper, have come into force which allow the government to intervene for the first time in schools that have more than one consecutive Ofsted rating of “requires improvement” or “inadequate”.
Under the regulations struggling schools may be matched with a multi-academy trust to support their improvement.
Cleverly added that as of 1 September, there are now over 10,000 academy schools open in England as a result of over 100 new academies converting during the summer break.
“More than seven out of 10 sponsored academies which were found to be underperforming as a local authority maintained school in their previous inspection now have a good or outstanding rating.
“It's also great that we can mark the new school year with a major milestone – over 10,000 academies are now open in England. The academies programme has been transforming children’s education for over a decade now and I look forward to building even more momentum so all schools can join strong academy trusts in the coming years,” he said.
