Catherine McKinnell, the Minister for School Standards and MP for Newcastle North, highlighted alarming statistics that 1.6 million children across the UK miss a day of school every other week,
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00Catherine McKinnell, the Minister for School Standards and MP for Newcastle North, highlighted
00:06alarming statistics that 1.6 million children across the UK miss a day of school every other
00:11week, with 150,000 of those pupils missing half of their school days.
00:16As mentioned, in the North East, the rates of persistent absenteeism remain 7% higher
00:21than before the Covid pandemic, with around 73,000 pupils missing more than 10% of their
00:26school time.
00:27McKinnell expressed deep concerns over the decline in students' sense of belonging and
00:32happiness at school, pointing out that the UK fares poorly compared to other developed
00:37nations when it comes to our children's feelings about school.
00:41She emphasised the need for schools to not only provide high-achieving environments,
00:45but also to foster places where students feel motivated, valued and accomplished.
00:51While the North East has seen progress, with persistent absence rates dropping and overall
00:55absence improving, challenges still remain.
00:59For instance, Newcastle ranks among the areas with the highest levels of unauthorised absences
01:04in the country.
01:06Unauthorised absence in schools refers to any time a student is absent from school without
01:10the school's permission or without a valid reason.
01:14This can include absences where the school has not received an acceptable explanation
01:18from the parents or guardians, such as a doctor's note, or when the reason for absence is not
01:23deemed valid by the school.
01:25This can include instances such as taking a family holiday during term time without
01:29approval or simply not attending school without any notification.
01:33McKinnell also stressed the importance of addressing broader issues such as child poverty,
01:38rising transport costs and the financial burden of school uniforms, which have exacerbated
01:43attendance problems.