Parents are being told to send their children to school with coughs and colds after a poll found one in four adults think it is okay for youngsters to skip school.
The government has launched a national campaign to tackle high levels of absenteeism and ensure all children are in class, using the strapline ‘moments matter, attendance counts’.
This rise in absences is believed to be down to the covid-era practice of keeping children away from their education if they showed any symptoms of a respiratory illness.
The number of secondary school children persistently absent in England has doubled in the last decade, from 567,000 in 2010 to 894,444 in 2021.
A YouGov poll, commissioned by the Centre for Social Justice, also found that 28 per cent of parents agreed the pandemic had shown it was not essential for children to be in school every day.
The number of secondary school children persistently absent in England has doubled in the last decade, from 567,000 in 2010 to 894,444 in 2021
A YouGov poll, commissioned by the Centre for Social Justice, also found that 28 per cent of parents agreed the pandemic had shown it was not essential for children to be in school every day
Last year, a record 399,000 parents were given a penalty notice by local authorities for their children’s unauthorised school absence. The number of fines issued in 2022-2023 were 20 per cent higher than in 2018-2019.
Both the Tory Government and the Labour Party are this week outlining their differing approaches to how to bring down truancy at school.
Bridget Phillipson, Labour’s shadow education secretary, urged parents not to take children out of school for holiday trips and will give a speech on Tuesday outlining her plans.
She told the BBC: ‘I think those parents that choose to take their children out of school for holidays or for trips or where it’s not necessary should reflect seriously. Because that damages children’s life chances, they only get one chance at school, they only get one childhood.
‘For those parents who are facing additional challenges, and for children that are facing additional challenges, an incoming Labour government will make sure that we put in place the support that’s needed to tackle that.’
The Government wants people to follow advice issued by Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, and other leading health experts, which encourages parents to send their children to school with mild respiratory illnesses.
The advice reads: ‘We are aware that the Covid-19 pandemic may have caused some parents to feel less confident with assessing whether their child is well enough to be in school so we have laid out some information which we hope you will find helpful.
‘There is wide agreement among health professionals and educational professionals that school attendance is vital to the life chances of children and young people. Being in school improves health, wellbeing and socialisation throughout the life course. The greatest benefits come from children and young people attending school regularly.
‘It is usually appropriate for parents and carers to send their children to school with mild respiratory illnesses. This would include general cold symptoms: a minor cough, runny nose or sore throat. However, children should not be sent to school if they have a temperature of 38C or above.’
The Government is also expanding a mentor scheme championed by the charity Barnardo’s as part of its £15million programme to tackle the attendance crises.
The issue is one of a number of behavioural changes seen during the pandemic, such as employees working from home, that appear to have become longer-term trends.
Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, wants to remind parents they have a ‘legal duty’ to send their children to school with minor mental or physical illnesses to school
Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, said: ‘The benefits of our success in raising education standards can only be when all children are in school.
‘Tackling attendance is my number-one priority. We want all our children to have the best start in life because we know that attending school is vital to a child’s wellbeing, development, and attainment, as well as impact future career success.’
Some 28 per cent of secondary school pupils in England were classed as ‘persistently absent’, meaning they missed at least a tenth of school sessions, according to Labour analysis of Department of Education data.
Ms Phillipson said a Labour government would open mental health clubs in every area and universal free breakfast clubs in primary schools.
Both the Conservatives and Labour’s policies act to remind parents they have a ‘legal duty’ to send their children to school with minor mental or physical illnesses to school, as failing to do so would damage their chances of good exam results.