Parental disengagement with the education system is driving a significant increase in unauthorised absence among pupils, with teachers saying dealing with pupil absences is having a significant adverse impact on their workload.
A survey of over 1,000 teachers across the UK by NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union has found that nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents said that unauthorised absences have increased significantly among the pupils they teach since 2020.
Teachers said that on average 15 pupils they teach are persistently absent.
When asked what they think is driving persistent absence, the most cited reason was parental disengagement with the education system. This was followed by the increased willingness of parents to keep their children off school when ill, an increase in parents taking their children out of school for holidays or family events and mental health problems among children and young people.
The survey revealed the extent to which dealing with persistent absence is driving up teachers’ workloads and taking their time away from supporting pupils in the classroom.
More than nine in ten respondents said that dealing with persistent absence has increased their workload over the last two years. 43% of these said the impact on their workload had been significant.
Over two-thirds (67%) said they have to make adaptions to lessons to accommodate pupils who have been absent, two-thirds say they are required to prepare work to be sent home to absent pupils and 58% say they are required to contact parents regarding pupils being absent.
The survey also found that:
· The increase in rates of persistent absence are much higher in the North East of England than any other region - 89% of teachers said absences have increased in the last two years, compared to 53% in Greater London;
· The increase in absences is noticeably higher in secondary schools (68%) than in primary (54%)
· Teachers reported that pupils from lower income families and those with mental health issues were much more likely to be persistently absent from school;
· The unwillingness of parents to engage with schools over attendance was cited as the biggest barrier to tackling the problem, followed by a lack of time for teachers to work with persistently absent pupils and their families and long waiting lists for mental health treatment for young people.
The release of the survey follows the announcement last month by the DfE of a planned expansion of the attendance mentor programme. Latest official data shows a rise in the number of pupils in England classed as severely absent.
Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT, said:
“High levels of persistent absence are one of the biggest challenges facing teachers and one of the biggest threats to the quality of education and children’s future life chances.
“Teachers cannot deal with the problem of persistent absence alone. The evidence confirms that tackling the problem requires a nationally coordinated plan that will deliver the extra resources schools need, as well as better support for children, young people and families.
“The significant amount of time that teachers are spending on liaising with parents of absent pupils is not only increasing already excessive workloads, but also diverting teachers’ time from meeting the needs of those pupils who are in class.
“Whilst we welcome the Government’s commitment to expand the attendance mentor programme and to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every secondary school, we also need to see extra investment in services beyond the school gates to deliver the support that some families need.
“There is a need for a national mission to tackle absence from school and to make regular school attendance the norm, not the exception, for all children and young people.”
