Headteachers should drive to the homes of absent pupils and get them into school

[Amuseaboosh]

Headteachers "have a duty" to drive to the homes of absent pupils and bring them into school, the education secretary has said.

Gillian Keegan said levels of absence in schools were now "a crisis," with recent figures revealing that 125,000 pupils spent more time out of class than in.

I know how very lucky I am to have never had to cope with any of my children not wanting to go to school.
However, I'm not so ignorant that I believe that all the parents dealing with this issue haven't tried absolutely everything to get their child into school. Where is ANY member of teaching staff supposed to find the time to attend to 125,000 pupils in person to get them to come to school?

AIBU in thinking Gillian is out of touch and ignorant? Or can someone see wisdom here that I cannot?

This type of stupidity just makes me think 'No one really thinks this. Gillian doesn't really think this, what other bullshit are they trying to hide from us today?'. And then I go round in circles of self doubt about whether I'm overly cynical or not.

I feel a letter coming on, as a parent of once of these children.

As with most things they really need to butt out and let the professionals work in a solution. And it needs to be a radical solution to increase wellbeing and Sen support. If a loving and committed parent can’t sort the problem I’m afraid a headteacher has little chance.

I just read your post and it resonated with me as I think my DS and your DD have had similar experiences.

My son went through periods of psychosis too, he was trying to jump out of windows etc. He would have rather been dead than go to school.

Keep going. Anxiety meds have really worked for DS, sometimes children with autism produce less serotonin naturally than neuro-typical children.

My DS is absolutely fine now, I would never have believe it possible as recently as 18 months ago.

"However, I'm not so ignorant that I believe that all the parents dealing with this issue haven't tried absolutely everything to get their child into school. "

I don't even understand this sentence, too many double negatives. Do you think parents have tried everything or they haven't???

I'm not sure why you would assume benefit sanctions would help. Ignorant comment.

These issues affect children across the whole of society and often in affluent families.

Most Mumsnetters have jumped to the conclusion that this is an attack on parents with school refusers or kids with MH challenges.

But I read it as directed at chaotic families who struggle to be organised enough to get their kids to school every day for whatever reason, not school refusers. These are the very kids who may find school a refuge with routines, friendly adults who may serve as role models and hot meals every day. Doing everything possible to get the kids into school is a good thing.

You have to be joking?

Forcing an EBSA to school makes it worse. My dd self harmed in this position. Do you know what drives EBSA? It’s predominately ND kids in NT schools. Where’s the support for that instead of dragging them in?

My A* ASD Dd in Y 12 has refused to go to school since Easter. She’s in autistic burnout. Can’t cope with all the sensory and social demands. How is forcing her into school going to solve that?

Its a bloody nightmare to deal with, lm so stressed.

Yes this should happen.

The duty is on the LA not the school and a complaint needs to be made under s. 19 of the Education Act 1996 if it isn't done. Normally this is ignored and a second tier complaint can be made and then you can take the LA to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

At the same time if the child does not have an EHCP you can ask for a needs assessment. The fact that the child is struggling to attend school is enough of a trigger but again the LA may refuse so you may need to appeal.

It might be that the child's needs are better met in a special school or ASD unit. It may be, and was in the case of my child, that they are too traumatised for any formal environment.

IPSEA is a good source of support - www.ipsea.org.uk

But I read it as directed at chaotic families who struggle to be organised enough to get their kids to school every day for whatever reason, not school refusers.

The problem is that the school can't really tell which applies.

There are different categories of children who don’t attend much:

1. severe mental health issues and anxiety, especially in teens: this is where underfunding children’s services and NHS in that regard are to blame as well as the situation being even worse post pandemic

2. chaotic families, usually in poverty: different issues, need social services support - carrot rather than stick. If school is where there is food, play, free after school club provided - that would help

3. children with undiagnosed SEN, those who should be in special school or those who are not properly supported in main stream - school funding/staffing to blame - ties in with 1

4. bullied children who are traumatised by school - some actually need therapy

5. lazy parents on benefits, substance abuse (drugs/alcohol etc) who cannot be arsed to get kids up and dressed. Older kids in that category following in footsteps. Kids learn from their parents.

6. kids who just get physically ill a lot

Keegan needs to treat the underlying issues first. Treat the cause not the symptoms.

My situation doesn’t involve mh however I had a serious accident & was physically unable to get my dc to school on certain days, I was unable to walk let alone drive or use public transport. The school treated me horrendously about keeping dc off school, despite knowing my circumstances they were unwilling to help in any way & the head teacher kept bleating on about how it affects overall school attendance..I asked him what he suggests to which he told me it’s not his problem or responsibility to solve, maybe if I made more mum friends I wouldn’t have this problem! Appalling man & appalling teacher

Phos · Today 09:46
I’d have thought a HT would be putting themselves at unnecessary risk doing this. Most of these absentee children will be at a certain kind of household where a teacher turning up (probably alone because resource!) will be subject to a torrent of verbal abuse at best.

Having worked with children and families for 30 years, I can tell you clearly and confidently that there is no ‘certain kind of household’. The reasons for absence and school refusal are multi-factorial and complex. Your comment is judgemental, ignorant and stereotyping.

I’d hazard a guess that families so chaotic they cannot get children to school have undiagnosed SN as well, and need support, not blame and punishments.

Dd was out of school for two years. In our LA if you have an EHCP then you are outside of the remit for educational welfare. I did force the LA to provide tutors and CAMHS signed her off sick. Didn't stop the school trying to force her back into school to protect the attenance figures by calling meetings to discuss reintergration with everyone but CAMHS invited. These only stopped when I invited CAMHS myself to attend.
School did turn up once unannounced, they believed I should be more forceful, I told them that if they didn't make an appointment they wouldn't be gaining entry and sent them away. They never made an appointment or turned up again.
Dd never went back to the school she couldn't attend but went happily to independent specialist that I secured through Tribunal process.

I think this is true, also unchaotic families can become chaotic when a child gets to the point of non attendance.

My child slept in a tent in our living room for weeks and didn't change his clothes. To the outside observer we were chaotic. The reality was we were in survival mode.

Exactly, no way on earth would I have been able to get either of my DS’s to school if they refused.

Thankfully I didn’t have that problem, must be very difficult situation to find yourself in.

I wouldn't have believed this till I saw a parent in front of me essentially tell primary school staff that her son who'd run off instead of getting in car was their issue as it was school hours now.

There may have been some complex back story but mother wasn't visibly upset seemed bit taken aback that everyone in reception was a bit stunned by her attitude and she made it clear she was going shopping - not rushing to work or looking for the child - around 8 - and she thought informing school staff was enough.

Pronouncements like this embolden few parents that are like this - and rest it doesn't help it's not address why this is happening - either reasons at home or school - and ignores that many schools who do try this anyway with looking at above posts with very mixed success. It offers no help school refusers or their parents who clearly feel very alone and unsupported.

JustanothermagicMonday1

You are right about the underlying causes for absenteeism needing sorting first. I’m not sure I agree with your categorisation but there are multiple within child/family factors.

There are also the wider system factors: schools are now huge - it’s much harder for teachers to build good, trusting relationships with all the kids. Adult to child ratios don’t allow for sufficient oversight. The impact of lockdown. Huge gaps in learning and now teachers are having to adapt what they would usually do. The culture of the school - are the teachers happy and well supported. Is there a culture of kindness and support? Are the teachers resourced enough to individualise teaching to meet different needs?

So many things can influence this issue. But, I agree that we need to first understand the causes and then address them - sending HTs out will not make a difference and is a very costly waste of time.

I think the government need to admit their part in this mess. I know they won’t.

DDs primary did nothing in lockdown, sent out a bunch of sheets from twinkle twice (didn’t want them back) and that was it. They did open for key workers but very few parents worked, and it was only a few TAs in.
Basically they gave permission to be home and do nothing. I’ve met others whose schools were the same.
We have free hours to get small children into the routine of getting into school and learning. Then just totally broke the routine. We talk about learning loss in the summer holidays- how about 6 months.

They then made classrooms unpleasant places with open windows and masks. how are children meant to have a positive reaction to education.

Its absurd to have HT and Deputies doing this. They have so much work to do anyway.

I'm afraid it needs to go back to the system when I was a kid (when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth) and Truant Officers employed to round up the kids and talk to the families. They will be best place to then report issues to SS if it's neglect, or help families where needed.

I remember being stood in the reception area of Primary School where one parent had brought the child in, dragged in by all accounts. And was explaining to the teacher that she didn’t have school uniform on because mother had given her £50 the weekend to go into town (literally only a small Asda) to go and buy the school skirt and she spent it on rubbish instead. The kid was nine.

but in the mothers mind, she’d done everything she possibly could. I don’t know how the teachers keep a straight face.

I don't think it's always SN, mental health or chaotic families (though often it is). I have come across a lot of people who just don't value education. "I didn't do well at school and it hasn't done me any harm, so what's the point" seems to be a fairly common attitude. As well as people who simply don't like to be told what to do with their kids, especially by teachers.

How are the schools going to distinguish though? Children with SEN often come from “chaotic” families, and the parents are often neurodivergent or have learning difficulties themselves.

Schools can be very quick to parent-blame (even when SEN, or medical or mental health problems have been diagnosed, but sometimes there is no diagnosis) instead of looking at their own culture and what they are/aren’t doing to meet children’s needs.

I’ve heard “this isn’t autism, it’s just bad parenting” said about families (I worked in education before my child got ill)

Schools are not remotely qualified to recognise neurodivergent children or to advise on how to best support them, but often they still believe they know best and better than the parents themselves.

And this idea of feckless parents who just can’t be bothered to send DC to school… are there really that many? I’ve never met then, and I’ve met a lot of parents of so called “school refusers”.

Having DC at home all day is bloody hard work, it’s not the easy option.

I remember these too. Any children hanging around the shops and 'bus shelters were rounded up. I remember children in my class being present for registration then sloping off. This was also in the days before schools became lock-ins too.