Parents have responsibilities to make sure children in school, says Phillipson

Parents “all person responsibilities” to marque definite their children are going to school, Bridget Phillipson has said, arsenic she warned astir the hazard of damaging children’s beingness chances.

The Education Secretary said determination has been a “casual benignant of cognition progressively emerging” connected schoolhouse attendance, and warned parents that a determination to not nonstop a kid to schoolhouse impacts “the acquisition of each children successful that class”.

Speaking to reporters aft her code connected Ofsted betterment connected Monday, Ms Phillipson said the Government is “investing much successful enactment services” for children that are struggling, but not sending children to schoolhouse “breaks” a wider societal contract.

Figures from the commencement of this twelvemonth suggested that the fig of children disconnected during the archetypal week of word was up connected past year’s data.

We each person responsibilities arsenic parents to nonstop our children to schoolhouse due to the fact that erstwhile we don’t bash that it damages our children’s beingness chances

Bridget Phillipson, Education Secretary

Ms Phillipson said determination had been a “big driblet off” successful attendance rates since the pandemic, and added: “Parents person responsibilities to marque definite that they’re sending their children to school. Government has a work to marque definite that schools are providing what children need, including further enactment astir the schoolhouse time for example.”

She went on: “I cognize tons of children are struggling with their intelligence wellness astatine the moment, that’s wherefore we are investing much successful enactment services for children who are struggling.

“But we each person responsibilities arsenic parents to nonstop our children to schoolhouse due to the fact that erstwhile we don’t bash that it damages our children’s beingness chances but besides […] it breaks that declaration that we person arsenic parents with our children’s schoolhouse and with wider nine and I cognize for immoderate parents that isn’t casual and for those parents who are struggling we volition enactment successful spot the enactment that’s needed.

“But it’s not OK to accidental ‘it’s lone a Friday, you don’t request to spell to schoolhouse today’. Every time astatine schoolhouse does substance and parents person responsibilities too.”

In a question and reply league aft her code astatine the Centre for Social Justice, the Education Secretary besides said determination has been “sadly a casual benignant of cognition progressively emerging” connected the topic.

Figures released successful January indicated that the fig of pupils successful England disconnected schoolhouse without support astatine the commencement of this word is up compared with the aforesaid clip past year.

Data from the Department for Education (DfE) showed that the unauthorised lack complaint crossed authorities schools successful England was 2.7% successful the week ending January 10 – the archetypal week of word pursuing the Christmas holidays.

This was higher than the equivalent week successful 2024 – the week ending January 12 – erstwhile the complaint was 2.5%, according to the DfE.

Figures from October besides indicated that the fig of pupils absent for prolonged periods of clip had risen. Data from the section indicated that 2.1% of pupils were “severely absent” successful the autumn and outpouring presumption of 2023/24 successful England, compared with 1.9% successful the aforesaid presumption successful 2022/23.

Around 158,000 pupils were severely absent implicit the autumn and outpouring presumption of 2023/24, compared with 139,000 implicit the aforesaid play successful 2022/23.