So when did attendance become such an issue in the UK? Tom Bennett, a former teacher and independent behaviour advisor to the Department for Education, attributes the nosedive to the pandemic, which saw some parents adopt the belief that school is somehow optional.
Before then, he says, attendance was only a problem for “a core percentage of families”.
“The pandemic shattered the social contract,” says Bennett. “For as long as anyone can remember, the assumption was that you should send your children to school.
“Then all of a sudden it was compulsory to stay at home, and that meant children and families learnt entirely new habits, and human behaviour is very habit driven. It’s an international phenomenon – not local to the UK.”
While there is little doubt that going to school leads to better educational outcomes for children, opinions are split on whether the Department for Education’s laser focus on attendance is a good thing.
Warning signs in schools
Dr Naomi Fisher is a clinical psychologist who works closely with families…
