This article considers the issues of attendance and non-attendance, the latter of which has been recently linked with "behaviour" in a range of policy initiatives in England. John Dwyfor Davies and John Lee review some of the existing material on non-attendance and then draw on data they have collected in one large English city. The authors summarise their discussions with 13 non-attending young people and some of their parents, as well as conversations with 35 students who have a satisfactory attendance record, together with a perspective from educational professionals. The authors address the issue of why certain students, who apparently will gain little from school, in terms of certification, continue to attend school. They argue that ignoring the reasons why such students actually attend school is a major oversight in current research.