红桃影视

The government should 鈥渕obilise a national effort鈥� and revive 鈥減ublic targets鈥� to halve persistent absence, according to the guru who spearheaded New Labour鈥檚 huge school attendance boost.

Moira Wallace led the Social Exclusion Unit, which was set up by Tony Blair in 1997 in the Cabinet Office to drive down high absence rates with a 鈥渏oined-up solutions to joined-up problems鈥�.

By investing hundreds of millions in programmes and setting reduction targets, severe absence in secondary schools was halved and persistent absence cut by 45 per cent. Overall absence at secondary school fell from 9 to 5.2 per cent.

In a , Wallace has now set out a blueprint for how the new Labour government can solve a new absence crisis.

Here鈥檚 the main recommendations.

1. Bring back attendance targets…

The decision to set public targets 鈥渨as a key ingredient in the success of absence policy in the 2000s, providing the spur to match resource and attention to the scale of the problem鈥�, Wallace says.

Targets were ditched by the coalition government and absence rates started rising again in 2013.

Rates then soared during the Covid pandemic and have remained stubbornly high since.

Wallace said a 鈥渟ensible aspiration would be to match past success in reducing the most serious forms of absence鈥� 鈥� which means targeting a 45 per cent reduction in persistent absence rates and halving severe absence over seven years.

Alternatively, targets focused on pupils eligible for free school meals and those with special educational needs and disabilities 鈥渨ould focus action on disadvantaged groups who are disproportionately likely to miss school鈥�.

2. 鈥�but don鈥檛 expect schools to do all the work

However, expecting schools to tackle absence alone 鈥渨ill not work鈥�.

Instead, government should 鈥渕obilise a national effort to tackle absence and children missing school鈥�.

This should include support from the Treasury to give schools and local authorities the resources they need, and 鈥渃lose partnerships鈥� with other Whitehall departments that influence some of the drivers.

A comprehensive long-term strategy should be led by a national delivery board chaired by a DfE minister.

3. And get health involved too

Illness remains the single biggest cause of school absence.

The DfE and the Department of Health and Social Care 鈥渘eed to ask what can be done to reduce the amount of illness experienced by children, ensure children get access to treatment as fast as possible, and support those who are ill to keep learning when they cannot be at school鈥�, Wallace added.

4. Time to recognise other factors too

Last time it was in government, Labour had success because of a 鈥渂road-based strategy that tackled the multiple drivers of absence.

鈥淏ut over the last decade absence policy has skirted the big issues of adolescent health, problems in the special needs system, school disengagement, family stress, and the fear of bullying and crime,鈥� Wallace said in her report.

To reduce absence successfully government 鈥渨ill need to go further in recognising and communicating all the factors that drive the current absence problem鈥�.

5. Work needed on SEND, curriculum, post-16

The report found 鈥渨ell-resourced schools, adequate support for special educational needs, a curriculum that is appropriate for pupils鈥� interests and needs, and attractive routes for post-16 progression all appear to have helped improve attendance in the past鈥�.

To get on top of absence, DfE will 鈥渘eed to achieve a recovery in all these areas, as part of an overall drive to make schools supportive, safe and engaging places of learning that motivate pupils rather than push them away鈥�.

6. Support, don鈥檛 blame parents

The state 鈥渞ightly expects parents to support their child鈥檚 attendance at school鈥�.

But that 鈥渟hould not slip into assuming that it is inevitably parents鈥� fault if their children don鈥檛 attend鈥�.

Parents who are struggling and worried 鈥渘eed help and advice above all鈥�.

鈥淪trengthening parents鈥� ability to support their children, and building trusting relationships between home and schools, was part of success in the past and will be key to success in the future.鈥�

7. Re-establish partnerships

Local partnership working on children鈥檚 issues has been 鈥渦nder severe strain in recent years, both from funding pressures, and the move to academisation and geographically scattered multi-academy trusts.

Government will need to 鈥渞e-establish robust and empowered local partnerships, and work closely with them towards a shared purpose.

DfE should push for local partnerships to develop further, inviting local authorities to the table alongside schools and trusts, establishing regular conversations about absence.

8. Learn from New Labour-era programmes

Under the Blair government, two key spending programmes 鈥渒ick-started improvement鈥�, Wallace said.

Excellence in Cities aimed to improve educational achievement in disadvantaged areas. It provided resources for learning mentors to help pupils with academic or personal issues, and funded in-school learning support units.

The Behaviour Improvement Programme also began in 2002. It embedded action on absence alongside behaviour and school exclusion. By 2005, it had spent 拢331 million.

The report found these schemes served as 鈥渃atalysts for successful innovation on absence, behaviour and attainment鈥�.

They combined central investment and local partnership with 鈥渇reedom to tailor action to local circumstances鈥�.

鈥淣early 25 years on, it would be a smart move for DfE to create a modern equivalent to these, to require and support a joined-up local response to absence problems that go beyond the remit of any one agency, school or group of schools.鈥�

9. 鈥榃atch the data like a hawk鈥�

The government is also being urged to 鈥渨atch the data like a hawk, evaluate and adapt鈥�.

Close monitoring of progress and evaluation of policies were 鈥渒ey to the last Labour government鈥檚 school absence programme. They should come to the fore again now.

鈥淲ith virtually real-time data on weekly absence, as well as plentiful information on key drivers such as children鈥檚 perceptions of school, and experience of bullying, the government has an enormous advantage over its predecessors and should make the most of it.鈥�