Mark Whitehead 24 April 2023

School support cuts impacting attendance, council chiefs warn

School support cuts impacting attendance, council chiefs warn image
Image: Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com.

Cuts in pastoral support in schools are making it harder to encourage children to return after the COVID pandemic, council leaders have told MPs.

In evidence to the Commons education select committee the Local Government Association (LGA) said budget cuts were forcing some schools to ‘manage’ students out of classrooms.

Others were disguising their attendance records or ‘off-rolling’ students to artificially boost school exam results.

MPs heard claims that parents are more cautious about sending their children to school with minor ailments as a result of public health messaging during the pandemic.

The latest attendance data reveals that absences in the spring term this year were still 50% higher than before the pandemic, while in 2021-22 more than one in five secondary pupils were ‘persistently absent’ for missing 10% or more of sessions.

The LGA said there were increasing numbers of children in the mainstream school system with additional needs that can cause barriers to school attendance including trauma, deprivation and poverty.

‘Some schools have managed these pressures by practices to influence which students are admitted or practices designed to manage children out of the school, such as the inappropriate use of attendance codes, part-time timetables, informal exclusions, off-rolling, and inappropriate use of permanent exclusion.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Early Help Family Practitioner - 12 month FTC

The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council
£39150.00 - £42861.00 per annum
Be the support that helps families find their strength and move forward.Be the support that helps families find their strength and move forward. As England, London
Recuriter: The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council

Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development

Swansea Council
£73,908 - £85,884
As Head of HR and OD Swansea (Abertawe)
Recuriter: Swansea Council

Early Help Practitioner

Durham County Council
Grade 6, £28,142 - £31,022 per annum
Durham County Council are on a continuous improvement journey in relation to its Early Help service. We are one of 75 Local Authorities who are part o Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Legal Clerical Assistant

Durham County Council
£26,403 to £28,598 p.a. (Grade 5)
A vacancy has arisen within Business Services for a full time, permanent Legal Clerical Assistant to provide legal clerical support to solicitors and Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Practice Coordinator

Durham County Council
Grade 13 - £47,181 - £51,356
Do you love supporting practitioners to bring their best selves to their work? We are looking for a Practice Coordinator to support our Social Worker Spennymoor
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner