Absences and suspensions from school are two-thirds higher than before the pandemic, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
The think tank found that children lost 6.8 million days of learning in the autumn term before the Covid pandemic (2019/20) due to suspensions and absences.
However, according to the research – which was co-produced with the charity, The Difference – this jumped to 11.5 million days in the same period in 2023/24 – an increase of 67%.
The report also revealed that for every child that is permanently excluded, 10 others experience an ‘invisible’ move that isn’t recorded in national data or overseen by local authorities or trusts.
Efua Poku-Amanfo, research fellow at IPPR, said: ‘Since the pandemic, huge swathes of children have never returned, are being excluded or are mysteriously absent. Without urgent action to tackle lost learning, we risk failing the most disadvantaged children – those who could gain the most from an inclusive education system.’
Cllr Arooj Shah, chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said councils currently lack the powers to ensure children who miss school are supported.
She acknowledged that the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will give councils the ability to maintain Children Not in School registers but added that ‘additional funding’ was required for this responsibility.
