Tackle school absence with better mental health and SEND support

The Education Committee has proposed a range of measures to reverse the trend of children’s absence from school, with ‘persistent’ and ‘severe absence’ levels having failed to return to pre-pandemic levels.

In its new report, the cross-party Committee explores how growing demand for mental health services and special educational needs (SEND) support, as well as cost-of-living pressures and other issues, have compounded a problem that worsened following the covid lockdowns but remains present.
 
The most recent full-year statistics (for the 2021/22 academic year) showed an overall absence rate of 7.6%, up from around 4-5% before the pandemic. In that year, 22.5% of pupils were persistently absent, meaning they missed 10% or more of school sessions – around double the pre-pandemic rate. 1.7% of all pupils were severely absent, meaning they missed more than half of sessions, compared to less than 1% pre-pandemic.
 
The most recent statistical release from the Department for Education (DfE), relating to the autumn term 2022/23, shows that persistent absence had risen to 24.2% of pupils.
 
Education Committee Chair Robin Walker MP said: “The increase in children suffering from mental health problems is deeply troubling and it is evident that our health service can’t meet this growing demand, leaving schools to fill the gaps. A major cross-government review of how to overcome this challenge is needed and greater resources both inside and outside schools will be required.
 
“We also need a consistent policy of issuing fines across the country, not a postcode lottery. The use of fines feels justified to discourage families from taking term-time holidays or where parents refuse to cooperate with reasonable requests, but offering support should nearly always come first.
 
Robin Walker continued: “The Government must come good on the long-awaited register of children not in school. There is significant support across the sector and within Parliament to bring this forward. The upcoming King’s Speech must deliver on this."
 
The report says that the DfE should also lead a cross-government assessment of the scale of mental health difficulties amongst pupils, and review the current support available. The Committee says the Government should report its findings from this review by Summer 2024. There then needs to be significant cross-departmental working to ensure service levels are adequate to meet its previous commitment to a four-week waiting time.
 
The Committee supports the Government’s promotion of attendance hubs - a previous recommendation from this Committee - and its rollout of attendance mentors, and believes the latter should be expanded nationally, beyond the current pilot schemes in areas with high levels of deprivation. The Committee heard that the support mentors offer directly to children and their parents helps to overcome their unique issues that discourage attendance, but DfE should ensure the whole family-style of support becomes a central part of the programme, as recommended by School Home Support.
 
Absence rates are significantly higher among pupils with SEND, as are rates in special schools compared with mainstream schools. Witnesses told the Committee that failure to meet the needs of children with SEND is the main cause of their absence. This increases their risk of experiencing stress and anxiety, potentially leading to traumatic experiences.
 
DfE recently published its SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan with measures to train more educational psychologists; joint workforce planning with the Department of Health and Social Care; and improved training for teaching assistants.  
 
The Committee supports the SEND and AP improvement Plan but says it is evident that unmet need prevails as a very significant barrier to attendance. DfE should prioritise resources for inclusion and assessment in mainstream schools to ensure they can adequately support pupils with SEND, and keep that level of resource under review. Successful implementation of the SEND and AP improvement plan will be key.
 
There is a lack of consistency between England’s local authorities in their approach to issuing fines. Schools Minister Nick Gibb recently told the Committee fines can be suitable, “if families are not prepared to engage” with support.
 
The Committee heard arguments that in some cases fining families lacks support and compassion and should only be a last resort. DfE should produce a national framework and new statutory guidance for the use of fines and prosecution to ensure consistency across the country.