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| Labour proposes free breakfast clubs to tackle persistent school absence | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| More than one out of every five children in England are persistently absent from school | More than one out of every five children in England are persistently absent from school |
| Better mental health support for pupils would be part of Labour's plans to improve school attendance in England. | |
| Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson will set out measures later, including free breakfast clubs for primary schools. | |
| The plans also include increased funding for early speech and language interventions. | |
| This week, the government promised to extend the existing attendance-hub scheme to support a thousand more schools in England. | This week, the government promised to extend the existing attendance-hub scheme to support a thousand more schools in England. |
| "Every day our children are in school is so incredibly important," said Phillipson. "It damages their life chances when they aren't there. | |
| "So it's about that partnership we need to see between parents and schools, but also between schools and government, because governments have responsibilities as well." | |
| Boost sport to get pupils back to school - report | Boost sport to get pupils back to school - report |
| School-absence fines make problem worse, MPs told | School-absence fines make problem worse, MPs told |
| One in five regularly misses school, figures show | One in five regularly misses school, figures show |
| Among Labour's plans to tackle persistent absence is the creation of a national register for home-schooled pupils, designed to track children who are not in mainstream schooling. | |
| The proposals also include using Ofsted to review attendance data, and employing AI to spot trends in absence by linking with existing records in other services such as social care. | |
| Ms Phillipson told the BBC these measures would be funded by "ending the tax breaks that private schools enjoy". | |
| Department for Education (DfE) data shows more than one out of every five children in England are persistently absent from school - double the proportion before the Covid pandemic. | Department for Education (DfE) data shows more than one out of every five children in England are persistently absent from school - double the proportion before the Covid pandemic. |
| Persistent absence means missing at least 10% of school days - about four full weeks from the academic year. | Persistent absence means missing at least 10% of school days - about four full weeks from the academic year. |
| A Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) report this week suggested more school sport could help, but also found some parents thought children did not need to be in school full-time. | |
| The DfE says parents have a duty to ensure children attend school. | The DfE says parents have a duty to ensure children attend school. |
| Bridget Phillipson will lay out Labour's plans to tackle persistent absence | Bridget Phillipson will lay out Labour's plans to tackle persistent absence |
| On parents' role in improving pupil absence, Ms Phillipson said: "I think we also have to be clear that parents have responsibilities as well. | |
| "It's about everyone involved working together, pulling together to make the difference that we need as a country because it damages us all. | |
| "When children are not in school, it's not just those children who are missing out, but all of us as a society as well." | |
| Labour's plans are being backed by Sir Kevan Collins, the former school catch-up tsar. | |
| Sir Kevan highlighted the impact of the pandemic on school absence and educational attainment, calling the current situation "a real crisis". | Sir Kevan highlighted the impact of the pandemic on school absence and educational attainment, calling the current situation "a real crisis". |
| "Covid has cast a long education shadow and unfortunately, for some children, they're still suffering the consequences of learning loss," he told BBC News. | "Covid has cast a long education shadow and unfortunately, for some children, they're still suffering the consequences of learning loss," he told BBC News. |
| "All too often, the response to the pandemic has been piecemeal and, in my view, half-hearted." | "All too often, the response to the pandemic has been piecemeal and, in my view, half-hearted." |
| 'Maxed out' | 'Maxed out' |
| Boris Johnson appointed Sir Kevan in February 2021, to advise the government on helping England's schools recover and create a long-term plan to help students catch up on learning after the pandemic. | Boris Johnson appointed Sir Kevan in February 2021, to advise the government on helping England's schools recover and create a long-term plan to help students catch up on learning after the pandemic. |
| "I'm a Labour Party sympathiser but I was happy and honoured to go and support a Conservative prime minister," Sir Kevan said. | "I'm a Labour Party sympathiser but I was happy and honoured to go and support a Conservative prime minister," Sir Kevan said. |
| "We all had to stand up and do our part." | "We all had to stand up and do our part." |
| But he resigned a few months later, after the government allocated £5bn in funding, rather than the £15bn he had advised. | But he resigned a few months later, after the government allocated £5bn in funding, rather than the £15bn he had advised. |
| "The phrase that was used was that we were 'maxed out on recovery' - and I don't think we ever maxed out on recovery," Sir Kevan said. | "The phrase that was used was that we were 'maxed out on recovery' - and I don't think we ever maxed out on recovery," Sir Kevan said. |
| "We left schools too often on their own to resolve this. | "We left schools too often on their own to resolve this. |
| "For too many children in our most vulnerable communities, we failed them and let them down." | "For too many children in our most vulnerable communities, we failed them and let them down." |
| 'Best start' | 'Best start' |
| On Monday, the government announced £15m worth of investment over three years to address school attendance issues. | On Monday, the government announced £15m worth of investment over three years to address school attendance issues. |
| The DfE promised 18 new attendance hubs - bringing the total to 32 across England - providing tailored support to pupils at 2,000 schools, up from 1,000. | The DfE promised 18 new attendance hubs - bringing the total to 32 across England - providing tailored support to pupils at 2,000 schools, up from 1,000. |
| The government also plans to provide more targeted and intensive support to more than 10,000 severely absent students and their families. | The government also plans to provide more targeted and intensive support to more than 10,000 severely absent students and their families. |
| Conservative MP Robin Walker, chair of the education select committee, told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme that the government should focus on the increasing number of students missing up to half their time in school - so-called severe absences. | |
| Mr Walker said he supported a public information campaign to inform parents what the "right conditions" were for students to stay home because of illness, and when they should go in to school nonetheless. | Mr Walker said he supported a public information campaign to inform parents what the "right conditions" were for students to stay home because of illness, and when they should go in to school nonetheless. |
| Education Secretary Gillian Keegan called attendance issues her top priority. | Education Secretary Gillian Keegan called attendance issues her top priority. |
| "We want all our children to have the best start in life because we know that attending school is vital to a child's wellbeing, development and attainment," she said. | |
| Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
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| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Schools | Schools |
| Children | Children |
| Labour Party | Labour Party |
| Ofsted | Ofsted |