Number of children missing school an ‘epidemic’, Education Secretary says

Bridget Phillipson said that too many parents allow children time off for holidays, birthdays or a “runny nose”, as ITV News Political Correspondent Tom Sheldrick reports

The Education Secretary has described the number of children missing school as an “absence epidemic”, as she warned the number has rocketed since the pandemic.

Bridget Phillipson said she will make no "apologies" for fining parents with frequently absent children, warning that those who allow their children to skip school are significantly denting their future earning potential.

In the Sunday Times, Ms Phillipson said that too many parents allow children time off for holidays, birthdays or a “runny nose”.

Her warning comes as the summer holidays come to an end, and pupils prepare to return to the classroom next week.

She said her first priority is to create a welcoming environment for pupils in a bid to improve attendance.

A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) published earlier this year said nearly two in five (37%) pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are “persistently absent”, meaning they miss at least one day of school per fortnight on average.

It noted a spike in absences compared with before the coronavirus pandemic, with students now missing 14 days of school per year on average.

Bridget Phillipson described the removal of headline grades as a ‘generational reform’ Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA

During the general election, Labour promised to cut almost half a million days of school absence as part of its plan to deliver free breakfast clubs in primary schools in England.

In June, Ms Phillipson said breakfast clubs are proven to “get those regularly missing class back into school – giving them a great start to their day and getting them ready to learn”.

The Commons has previously supported the School Attendance (Duties of Local Authorities and Proprietors of Schools) Bill, which would require local councils in England to promote regular attendance and reduce absences at schools.

But the Bill did not reach the House of Lords before the general election and failed to become law.

At the time, Conservative former minister Vicky Ford, who sponsored the Bill, raised concerns about the increase in absences after the pandemic and said “over a million children or young children are persistently absent or worse”.

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