MPs have called for more support for pupils with special educational needs (SEND) to tackle school absences and a consistent approach to the issuing of fines to parents whose children miss school.
A new report from the Education Committee into school absences found an overall absence rate of 7.6% for the 2021/22 academic year – up from around 4-5% before the pandemic.
It also revealed that 22.5% of pupils were persistently absent during the 2021/22 academic year, which means they missed 10% or more of school sessions.
The Education Committee said that the problem of school absences was compounded by the growing demand for mental health services and SEND support, as well as cost-of-living pressures.
The committee called for greater resources for schools to support children suffering from mental health problems, a national register of children not in school, and an end to the ‘postcode lottery’ of fines for absences.
Responding to the report, Cllr Louise Gittins, chair of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Children and Young People Board, said: ‘We support the Committee’s call for government to legislate for a register of children not in school. This needs to be combined with powers for councils to meet face-to-face with children.
‘There should also be a cross-government, child centred-strategy to tackle rising disadvantage and the wider factors contributing toward persistent absence. This must include reforming the SEND system and expanding access to mental health support and youth services.’
A Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘We recently announced an expansion to our attendance hubs and mentors programme and we are also working closely with schools, trusts, governing bodies and local authorities to identify pupils in need of additional support.
‘A key part of this includes ensuring children get the right support with SEND and mental health including through our SEND and AP Improvement Plan and by increasing number of Mental Health Support Teams.’
