Labour’s plans to combat school absenteeism will be a top priority if the party forms the next government, according to Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. The party’s pledge to tackle poor attendance, backed by education catch-up expert Sir Kevan Collins, includes plans to use artificial intelligence to analyse absence trends. It also advocates a register for home-schooled pupils, free breakfast clubs for England’s primary-aged children, and more mental health support in schools.
Data from the Department for Education (DfE) indicates that persistent absence, defined as missing at least 10% of school days, now afflicts more than one in five children in England, double the pre-Covid proportion. A report from leading think-tank the Centre for Social Justice highlighted the importance of school sports participation in improving attendance rates. However, some parents believed that full-time schooling was unnecessary for children, the report noted.
The government has announced £15m ($20m) of funding over three years to address the issue of school absenteeism, promising to expand the existing attendance-hub scheme to support a further 1,000 schools. By contrast, Sir Kevan resigned from his role as education catch-up tsar in June, citing insufficient funding. He said that learning loss caused by Covid represented a “real crisis” for the UK’s education system, needing “serious action”.
Phillipson expressed determination to ensure that “background [was] no barrier to opportunity,” stating that Labour would concentrate on improving education if elected. Meanwhile, Keegan, the Education Secretary, called attendance problems her “top priority.
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