Responding to new data from the
Department for Education, which shows that more than 150,000
pupils were severely absent from school in the 2022/23 summer
term, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of
School and College Leaders, said:
“All young people have the right to an education and the fact
that so many are missing more than half their time in school
should be cause for major concern. Advertising slogans and
attendance hubs are just not going to make a tangible difference
to pupils who are missing days or weeks of school at a time. We
have to be far more ambitious.
“We need greater mental health support for children who are
suffering from anxiety and depression. Investment in attendance
support services is required to help identify the issues
preventing children from regularly attending school, and allow
work to be done alongside families to find solutions. There needs
to be a network of support available to allow all pupils to feel
able to attend school regularly, and this can only be achieved if
public services are funded appropriately. There’s no getting away
from the fact that this costs money, but the Prime Minister
himself has recognised the education is key to economic growth.
If absence rates remain at these levels then the future prospects
of thousands of young people are going to be jeopardised. They
quite simply deserve better.”
