Persistent School Absence: A Critical Challenge

As the 2023/24 academic year draws to a close, it has been clear for us, as a leading education recruitment agency, to see that the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still affecting the UK education system, with one of the most significant impacts being persistent school absenteeism.

According to the latest Government data, the persistent absence rate this academic year was 20% - nearly double the rate from 2019, before the pandemic.

Zest Education candidates are reporting that absenteeism is one of the biggest problems schools are experiencing, and are raising concerns about the long-term effects this will have on education and the overall well-being of our children.

It’s a complex issue that we all know schools must address with urgency, especially since the data we’re seeing shows a clear correlation between attendance and academic performance.

For instance, students who missed more than 10% of school lessons were significantly less likely to achieve passing grades at GCSE in crucial subjects like English and Maths. In 2022/23, only 35.6% of persistently absent students achieved grades 9-4 in these subjects at GCSE, compared to 67.6% of all other students.

We are of the belief that schools need to create strong bonds of communication with parents and students to emphasise the importance of attendance – something that we see regularly at the schools and educational settings that we partner with here at Zest.

The creation of strong bonds involves building genuine relationships with students and their families – really getting to know their characters, offering consistent pastoral support to students, and regularly delivering positive messages about attendance.

Throughout our research for this article, students themselves have expressed varying attitudes towards school attendance. Many students recognise the value of education but also feel the pressure of balancing school with other aspects of life. Schools are telling us that parents are placing a much greater emphasis on mental well-being and that they are actively seeking a better balance between school and home life for their children, with some reporting that parents believe their children can easily “catch up” on missed education, leading them to view short periods of absence as manageable.

This ‘new normal’ that is emerging is one that many schools haven’t felt able to reconcile with.

However, with persistent absence also hampering the mental-health, social development and future career prospects of our children, we need to see many more schools getting on-board and adjusting their communication strategies, emphasising the broader impacts of absenteeism beyond immediate academic performance to both students and parents.

We’ve recognised how crucial it is for partners like ourselves to support schools in their mission to improve attendance since our inception in 2014, and have increased our efforts to support our school partners since the return to full-time learning post-pandemic with our bespoke Student Attendance Initiative.

Our Initiative works on the basis of reward for achievement, and sees every school that we work with supplied with a prize pool to award to students they deem as having significantly improved their attendance levels during the school year. All schools are also entered into a prize draw, with five lucky winners receiving a visit from our Zest Education ice-cream van.

In addition to initiatives such as this, we’re also unique in that our recruitment process ensures that the supply staff we place are not only highly qualified and/or experienced, but that they also fully understand the importance of regular student attendance. They are trained to engage with students effectively, providing the necessary support to those who struggle with attendance and are well prepared to make a positive impact.

Something that we firmly believe can help our schools and students to thrive during the 2024/25 academic year, and beyond.

Zest Education is an award winning recruitment agency specialising in education recruitment, supplying teaching and support staff to educational settings across Staffordshire and the West Midlands.

Since 2014 Zest Education has been using their vast experience to build genuine relationships, making perfect matches for candidates and schools and ensuring the best results for everyone.

For further information on how Zest Education Ltd. can support your school, please visit www.zesteducation.co.uk ?

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