Poor mental health and absences linked

Poor mental health in students is contributing to growing levels of school absences, according to a new report by the Centre for Mental Health and the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition.

Long waits for support and poverty levels have also contributed to the problem, they said. 

The report, 'Not in school: The mental health barriers to school attendance', found that levels of school absence have risen at the same time as escalating mental health problems among young people. 

One in five children now experience mental health difficulties, up from one in nine in 2017. 

Charlotte Rainer, manager of the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, said it is "no coincidence" that rates of school absence have risen in parallel with rates of child poverty and mental health problems in young people. 

She said: "School absence is a symptom of wider systemic issues, where more children are struggling with their mental health, struggling to afford the basics to attend school, and struggling to get the support they need with their mental health."

The report said that punitive approaches to improving attendance, such as fining parents, won’t work and could even make matters worse especially for families struggling with poverty and unmet mental health needs

School absences have continued to soar beyond pre-pandemic levels, with one in five children ‘persistently absent’ from school, meaning they missed 10 per cent or more school time.

Around 150,000 children are now classed as ‘severely absent’ – a rise of 150 per cent since figures in 2018 to 19.

The report found that pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are much more likely to miss school which is being made worse by long waits for SEND diagnosis and subsequent support in schools. 

Families struggling with the cost of living crisis are also at greater risk of missing school when they cannot afford the basics such as school uniform or food.

While the Government has introduced several measures to address the problem – including new guidance, ‘attendance champions’ and a rise in parental fines, the report said that these have so far been "ineffective."

Andy Bell, chief executive at Centre for Mental Health, said: “School attendance has deteriorated at the same time as children and young people’s mental health has got worse, especially since the start of the pandemic. 

"The government needs to support schools to help children and families to boost attendance. This requires systemic change – not punitive approaches that put families under greater pressure.”