Makes me so sad to read articles like this…

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Yes there will be the odd child who is ‘refusing’ school but in the main it is children, undiagnosed, unsupported who simply can’t go to school.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg7jk3rr225o

Because of the level of anxiety school represents.

Some are those pupils, yes.

But some are the children of parents who just can't be bothered to encourage them to go to school regularly. That's who the article is targeting.

They might not exist in your social circle, but they do exist in much larger number than you might expect.

According to the government’s own statistics, DC with SEN (those with EHCPs and those coded as K) are far more likely to be persistently absent or severely absent.

DC with SEN (those with EHCPs and those coded as K) over 4.5 times more likely to be severely absent than pupils without identified SEN (who may still actually have SEN since some schools are poor at recognising SEN in some pupils). The severely absent rate for DC without SEN was 0.97% in the 24/25 autumn term. That rate actually fell compared to the autumn term of the 23/24 academic year. Whereas, the rate for those on SEN Support and those with EHCPs rose.

While persistent absence rates dropped across the board slightly last autumn term, the gap between DC with SEN and those without increased.

Pretending this isn’t a SEN issue does no one any favours.

Thank you @flawlessflipperit needs identifying in order for SEN children to get the support they need. Summer with my ten year old has been so much easier without the pressure of school, the scaffolding by me, the masking by her.

I feel the same about the news when I hear about a parent/ care giver taking the life of their child, and their own.
i almost always know the child has some sort of “sen” before the news covers it.

Its the lack of acknowledgement in recognising the child has sen that I feel is a huge cover up in the UK. We don’t ever talk about the lack of support and services in place to prevent these tragedies, because then money would have to be spent.

I am NOT saying that hurting a
child with sen is any sort of excuse, just that it’s almost always never mentioned until the tiniest part of the last paragraph.
i feel its a huge cover up in this country to never acknowledge it.
Its NEVER an excuse but the services and support are so lacking, by not acknowledging it, Nothing changes.

But the statistics are shocking. And when you see it , you can’t unsee it.

There are a lot more kids with SEN than kids whose parents can't be bothered. More than 20% because 20% are actually recorded. There is no WAY 20% of parents are in the just cba category, because even if they had no interest in education, they'd presumably be interested in the free childcare.

I'm not denying those parents exist, but the DfES policies and announcements are horrible for parents suffering already.

OMG "have taken children for medical treatment abroad to avoid NHS waiting lists."

What an indictment of a supposedly developed country, that that is considered a parenting fault rather than a failure of the state.