To think the Ofsted inspector who blames WFH parents for low attendance is probably just resentful?

I'm not a parent so nope again - assumptions that are not correct! More deflection by suggesting something that isn't true.

I don't have skin in the game so nope you're wrong - again!

@HeyDrake I am not missing the point. You seem to be missing mine - I haven’t mentioned anything about the cause of EBSA and my post was purely about you misunderstanding EHCPs. So directing a post saying EBSA is akin to a MH issue than a systemic one towards me is irrelevant to what I posted.

I appreciate many have to appeal, sometimes more than once, but if the 2 years from start to finish doesn’t include at least one appeal, parents don’t have to accept that. If LAs breach the statutory timescales, they can force the LA to act, via JR if necessary.

Under section 19 of the Education Act 1996, if CSA DC can’t attend school full-time, LAs have a statutory duty to ensure they still receive a suitable full-time education. This is separate to the EHCP process and should begin as soon as it becomes clear 15 days will be missed. The days don’t need to have already been missed or consecutive. And provision should begin by the sixth day of absence at the latest. Again, where this isn’t forthcoming from the LA, it can be enforced.

Some with EHCPs don’t attend school, that doesn’t always mean they aren’t receiving an education. An increasing number of children and young people have EOTAS/EOTIS/with or without a C on the end. For many of them, school will never be appropriate. DC on the roll of a school but unable to attend need a review of their EHCP because it clearly isn’t meeting their needs.

There's nothing in the times one that isn't in the itv one you linked, most of it is word for word the same. ITV has left out a figure showing attendance rates being worse since COVID, but this information is summarised in the itv article anyway.

Not sure why people are being so strange here.

Also the itv article is not an abstract. It's just a slightly abbreviated version

You are presenting yourself as someone who is taking these comments extremely personally.

I hope you find peace with whatever is causing you to respond in this way.

But nobody works in every single school. So she's not wrong about the need for actual statistics if anyone wants to claim something is statistically true.

As Ive said if you work with schools (I dont work in a school) or you work in a school you know this, its not speculation

I think his points are really quite valid. Habit forming is important, and normalising getting up and leaving the house for work, and changing that norm, has knock on impacts to children who aren't yet mature enough to understand the different nuances of work.

@StrivingForSleep you seem to be deliberately missing the point. My discussion about demographics was to show that this is much more akin to a mental health issue than something systemic, such as a change in schooling. Otherwise, systemic changes tend to negatively impact one particular group of people.
If you wait for an EHCP, roughly a two year process from start to finish in my area, what is happening in those two years? What is your child doing? Some parents, particularly in the SEN community, seem resistant to any sort of parental input.
For my personal experience, I am a year on from starting the process of getting an EHCP for my child. Her EBSA has nearly resolved BECAUSE SHE IS HAPPIER. I am much more consistent with her, we have more downtime, we are doing more self compassion work. Yes it could be a fluke but it's not been an EHCP which has made a difference and I know plenty of children with EHCP's who are not regularly attending school.

I think the headline distorts what he is saying - and your OP does the same, I’m afraid. What he’s saying is quite measured as PPs have said.

It’s not working from home per se as clearly not too long again, most families had a SAHM, who would be much more present for the kids than someone wfh. It could be - as I think he’s saying - that the societal idea that we all get up and dressed in the morning and leave the house, has waned a bit. And that’s worth discussing.

If adults think feel entitled to “duvet days” or to roll out of bed to work in their pyjamas five mins after waking, that’s going to make children less inclined to get up and go to school.

Can I ask two other things OP?

1. why are you and your DH taking the same three days off, when you could take different days and not have to give your 11 yo strict instructions to leave you alone?
2. and why do you describe your 8 yo as having “neediness” that is “unbearable”. Do you mean he wants to interact with his parents when they’re in the house? Like a primary ages child would!

There might not be evidence in the article but those of us who work with children and families and have been EWOs in the past know that the biggest factor in school refusal is a parent being at home. There are always outliers of this and not every school refuser has the same reasons for the refusal even if the factors match but there is usually something about the anxiety linked to the parent being at home (vulnerable parent, exciting parent, unreliable parent, colluding parent) influencing this.

You again assume!

Kids of teachers also suffer with anxiety and struggle to get into school at some times. What you mean is that teachers manage to still work alongside their children who are struggling with anxiety and so you assume they do not have attendance issues or the parents wouldn't be in work?

What do you think makes children of teachers not have anxiety?

I was just being exasperated - I mean a standard dose (although I do sometimes round my large 7.5yo up to 8yo 🤫). And I sometimes give them calpol and ibuprofen together, which is technically "allowed", but not ideal (better to alternate).

I agree with this. Maybe kids with WFH parents have the odd extra sick day when they are actually ill but it's unlikely to explain sickness rates of 10% and there's nothing in the article to suggest there's a link in terms of whether parents who WFH have kids who are off school more often

I think there's more likely a combination of poor mental health, general reduction in valuing education due to lock downs, and more screen availability making it less annoying to have kids at home all day.

The subject is worthy of a research project definitely but there's no evidence in the article

I think that teachers who are parents, probably understand the nuance of the situations like Covid & Strikes somewhat more than parents who are not teachers.

And I also think that on the balance of probability, the children with attendance issues are not normally the children of teachers.

Hence my original point.

@HeyDrake a good EHCP can provide far more therapeutic support than the vast majority of parents can either provide themselves, afford to fund privately or get the NHS/charities/schools at a SEN support level, etc. to provide. Yes, parents may have to appeal to achieve a good EHCP, but that doesn’t negate the scope of what an EHCP can provide or mean it isn’t worthwhile pursuing. Thinking an EHCP is an odd way to get support for SEMH needs again shows a lack of understanding about the scope of an EHCP. EHCPs cover SEMH needs.

Not sure what your last paragraph is about since EHCPs aren’t based on being ND, rich or poor, academically able or not, family make up, and can be issued for mental health difficulties.

you had read an abstract of an article OP

you seem to be on mumsnet every hour of every day. Way to say you WFH full time without saying you WFH full time 😆

Right I’ve got to watch the last half of Gladiator 2 now. All the best!

Well the poster is referring to the statistically significant numbers who do match this pattern, a parent at home (whether not working or WFH), and school refuser. These children have increased over time. WFH has increased over time

@StrivingForSleep but an EHCP is a hugely long winded and complex way of achieving what other agencies and parents can also do. The problem is when parents put all their eggs in the EHCP basket. Meanwhile their child stops attending in that time. Getting an EHCP seems an odd way to get MH support. But parents feel trapped as they're not accepted by CAHMs, there's a five year weight for diagnosis (not that this gives you any support) and so an EHCP seems the only tangible way of changing their child's situation. I completely emphasis. But this is a mental health issue, it is not just a school issue.
Mental health is the prominent reason for EBSA. These children are not all ND, they are varied in terms of academic ability and varied in family make up, it's not all rich kids or all poor kids. Therefore, it is much more in keeping with MH than being schools problem to fix.

Do you not think that teachers are also parents in many instances who also have to deal with the school closures during covid and strikes?

Telling a teacher they don't understand it from a parents perspective when most are is ironic!

How do you think those teachers managed during lockdown or strike days? Same as all other parents!

And seem to have alot of time to post telling us how productive they are being😂