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UK Youth has joined more than 40 organisations in calling for action to tackle school attendance
Ndidi Okezie OBE, UK Youth chief executive officer, has added her name to a letter to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, highlighting how school absences have risen in tandem with stretched services, and disproportionately affect marginalised groups of children.
The signatories are urging Ms Phillipson to tackle persistent absence by: improving access to mental health & special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support; making schools inclusive; intervening earlier; and working with families.
They say children who persistently miss school are more likely to experience mental health difficulties, more likely to have SEND and are at higher risk of exploitation.
UK Youth, which champions the importance of youth work, has repeatedly called for a joined-up cross-sector approach across services impacting young people.
Ms Okezie said: “Working together across sectors and services is key to supporting young people in these difficult times.”
The letter was sent by Place2Be, a children and young people’s mental health charity. It says:
Dear Secretary of State,
This month, millions of pupils across England will go through the school gates to start the new school year. However, with one in five children persistently missing school, about 1.6 million children will not be joining their peers.
School absences have risen in tandem with stretched services, and disproportionately affect marginalised groups of children. Children who persistently miss school are more likely to experience mental health difficulties, more likely to have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and are at higher risk of exploitation.
We all know the long-term effects of persistent and severe school absence. These young people are less likely to achieve the expected standard of maths, reading and writing; are less likely to achieve higher grades in their GCSE exams, and lose out on social connection and community.
As leading voices in the attendance sphere, we urge your government to work with us to tackle persistent absence and improve young people’s mental health.
Together, as part of a new report, School for All: Solutions for School Attendance, we have set out the measures needed to give every child access to the education they deserve.
Place2Be, alongside other leading education and voluntary organisations who produced this briefing, works directly with young people, families, schools and communities to provide targeted and multidisciplinary programmes.
Our organisations deliver services that have proven to be effective, and our support-first approach has helped many children return to school.
In the report, we make several evidence-based recommendations to improve the chances for these children and families. These include:
- Embedding a whole school approach to wellbeing to make school cultures inclusive, with a focus on mental health, enrichment and belonging, extending to families;
- Working in positive partnership with schools and families, giving schools the tools to identify the causes of absence and provide support earlier, such as through the implementation of more detailed codes to record absences due to mental health difficulties or bullying;
- Expanding access to SEND support and expert children’s mental health provision in schools and in the community;
- Investing in the services needed to support families, especially single parents, through welfare provision, youth services, family hubs, community support and prevention, and supporting the collaboration between schools and these services.
The Children’s Wellbeing Bill has committed to driving school reform – but to truly break down barriers to opportunity this new school term, we must make sure that every child can go through those gates feeling happy, supported and ready to thrive. We would welcome the opportunity to speak with you about this briefing and how we can make the first day back to school last.
Alongside UK Youth and Place2Be, other signatories include the Scouts, Child Poverty Action Group, Mind and Family Action. To see the full letter, click here.
Now in its 10th year, Place2Be hopes to encourage more people than ever to help it reach its goal that no child or young person has to face a mental health problem alone.
About UK Youth
UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. With an open network of more than 8,000 youth organisations and nation partners; UK Youth reaches more than four million young people across the UK and is focused on unlocking youth work as the catalyst of change that is needed now more than ever. To find out more, visit ukyouth.org
UK Youth is involved in a range of programmes designed to help young people thrive, such as outdoor learning, physical literacy, social action and employability, including Hatch, a youth employability programme run in partnership with KFC. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes
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