WFH parents causing 'unacceptable' rise in Friday school absences, says education secretary

Budget 2024

The education secretary has claimed that parents working from home leads to an unacceptable increase in students skipping school on Fridays.

Gillian Keegan said that 50,000 more pupils are absent on Fridays compared to Mondays, highlighting “major challenges” for schools as parents take their children out for holidays and extended weekends.

School absences on Fridays have surged by 20 per cent, and unauthorised holidays are 25 per cent higher than pre-Covid levels, government figures show.

Ms Keegan says boosting attendance is her “top priority” as absenteeism remains significantly higher than pre-2020 levels.

Official figures reveal a record 157,000 pupils have missed more than 50 per cent of their lessons, and 1.7 million missing over 10 per cent, double the rate before the pandemic.

Pandemic lockdowns are believed to have weakened the social expectation of daily school attendance, while a spike in youth mental health issues is also believed to contribute to increased absences.

Ms Keegan, who wants to restore social norms about attendance, told parents: “It is unacceptable to take a deliberate decision to take your child out of school.”

Ms Keegan reportedly aims to shift away from Covid-era norms where children with minor illnesses stay home, stressing that those with mild anxiety should attend school.

Absence rates increased from 4.7 per cent in 2019 to 7.6 per cent in 2021 and still hover around 7 per cent despite government efforts to cut absenteeism.

Current data shows overall absence rates at 6.6 per cent on Wednesdays, rising to 7.8 per cent on Fridays this academic year.

The trend is more pronounced for unauthorised absences, which are 20 per cent higher on Fridays than Wednesdays.

Primary schools show the largest discrepancies, suggesting that parents are chiefly responsible for the Friday attendance drop. Primary pupils are 21 per cent more likely to be absent on Fridays, and 24 per cent more likely to be absent without a valid reason.

Ms Keegan argued that such detailed data enables targeting specific issues with solutions like attendance hubs and mentors, which she believes can “make a massive difference.”

She added: “Where this support-first approach does not work, we have increased the minimum fine by £20, to £80.”

Schools are encouraged to offer support before issuing fines, with councils deciding when to impose penalties. The fine doubles for repeat offenders.

Highlighting the importance of every school day, Keegan said: “Every day a child is absent they will miss on average five to six lessons, time they never get back.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “High rates of pupil absence are being driven by factors such as poor mental health, unmet special educational needs and families who are struggling to cope, and these are just not being adequately addressed.”

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