Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

School Attendance

23 January 2024 · 7 other contributors · 9,115 words

Opened by Vicky Ford Con Chelmsford

Responding minister: Robert Halfon

EducationMental HealthChildren & Families

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Vicky Ford raised concerns about school attendance in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • The number of persistently absent pupils has risen to nearly 1.5 million since the pandemic.
  • The proposed Bill aims to make guidance on improving school attendance mandatory for local authorities.
  • The Minister highlighted a six-point plan including appointing attendance champions and launching campaigns to stress the importance of school days.

Key requests to Government

I have tabled a Bill to make the 'Working together to improve school attendance' guidance mandatory. The Bill introduces a new general duty on local authorities to promote regular attendance and requires schools of all types to publicise a school attendance policy. I ask the Government to support these measures.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Vicky Ford Con Chelmsford

The number of severely absent or persistently absent pupils has soared since the pandemic. Last spring, nearly 1.5 million children were persistently absent from school, which means one in five is missing 10% or more of their school time. This surge risks a profound impact on educational attainment and longer-term outcomes for young people. Concerns include issues such as unmet special educational needs, anxiety, mental health, part-time timetables for children with SEND, changes in attitudes towards minor ailments leading to absences, and negative impacts from addictive online gaming.

Other contributors (7)
  • Bob Seely Con Isle of Wight

    Mr Seely supports the Bill introduced by Vicky Ford and Mary Drummond, highlighting concerns about home schooling on the Isle of Wight where absenteeism is over three times the national average. He worries that some children may be drifting into isolation or criminality due to lack of attendance.

  • Carla Lockhart DUP Upper Bann

    Acknowledges the right hon. Member's point about mental health affecting school attendance, highlighting that one in eight young people in Northern Ireland experience anxiety, 25% higher than in the rest of the UK, and calls for a focus on mental health across the United Kingdom.

  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Con North Cotswolds

    Mr Clifton-Brown discussed the challenges of school attendance, highlighting that 24% of identified SEND pupils have an EHCP and 97% of school leaders think funding for all SEND pupils is insufficient. He mentioned a significant increase in absenteeism during and after the pandemic, with a 7.3% overall absence rate in Gloucestershire during the autumn term of 2022-23 compared to 6.6% in 2021. He also noted that just 11.3% of severely absent pupils achieved grades 9 to 4 in English and maths, contrasting with 67.6% of all pupils. Mr Clifton-Brown asks the Minister to address the issue of long waiting lists for mental health services in Gloucestershire, suggesting that better liaison between local education authorities and Department of Health and Social Care is needed.

  • Helen Hayes Lab Dulwich and West Norwood

    Ms Hayes highlighted the importance of attendance in providing children with a strong educational foundation, citing new research indicating that over one-quarter of parents view school as non-essential daily. She noted an increase in persistent absence rates under the Conservative government since 2010, reaching nearly double by 2022-23, affecting more than 88,000 secondary school pupils missing at least half their education last year. She called for urgent action to address this issue.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Commends the right hon. Lady for bringing forward an important debate on school attendance, raising concerns about mixed messages during the covid period that have left parents more complacent about children's attendance or expecting online learning to catch up missed classes. Emphasises there is no substitute for in-school learning and teachers should not be expected to provide additional prep and delivery for children kept at home by their parents.

  • Judith Cummins Lab Bradford South

    My hon. Friend suggests that we need a coherent strategy for tackling persistent absence, including a new register for home schooling to track these pupils.

  • Mary Foy Lab City of Durham

    School absences are a significant issue in County Durham, with over 1,000 absences reported in the autumn and spring terms of 2022-23. This represents a sharp rise from fewer than 250 absences recorded in 2016-17. The Labour party predicts that this number could increase to well over 1,800 by 2026-27, unless there is policy or government change. Ms Foy discusses missed meetings with the Minister for Schools and emphasizes the need for mitigation measures to address lost education, particularly mentioning 18 weeks without specialist equipment for coursework affecting exam students.

Government Response

Robert Halfon

Acknowledged progress in reducing pupil absence since the pandemic but noted that there is still a long way to go. Highlighted a six-point plan including appointing attendance champions, expanding attendance hubs and launching campaigns to re-emphasise the importance of school days for learning and wellbeing. Mentioned spending £10.5 billion on special educational needs, a 60% increase since 2019. Noted discussions with schools such as St Leonard's regarding additional spaces for learning and support for pupils due to sit exams next year.

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