Labour says it’s going to introduce further psychological well being counsellors to secondary colleges as a part of its plans to deal with rising pupil absences.
The get together says the UK is dealing with a “generational problem”, as greater than 88,000 secondary faculty college students missed at the very least half of their training final 12 months.
Labour’s training pledge comes as a ballot carried out for the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) instructed nearly a 3rd of fogeys imagine it isn’t important for kids to attend faculty daily.
The suppose tank’s report, which questioned 1,206 mother and father throughout December 2023, discovered 28% felt that approach, and solely 70% of fogeys are assured that their kid’s wants are being met – a determine which drops to 61% at secondary faculty.
A report by a committee of cross-party MPs launched in September final 12 months mentioned that psychological well being help for kids struggling to attend faculty was “grossly insufficient”.
In addition to the introduction of extra psychological well being counsellors in secondary colleges, Labour is pledging to place “psychological well being hubs” in each group and provide common free breakfast golf equipment for each major faculty pupil if it positive factors energy.
On Sunday, the Training Division mentioned there might be 18 new attendance hubs throughout six areas within the UK, bringing the overall to 32.
These websites will be capable to provide a spread of schemes to pupils and their households resembling breakfast golf equipment, extracurricular actions and initiatives geared toward enhancing their processes and evaluation of attendance knowledge.
The hubs are run by colleges with wonderful attendance that share sensible concepts with different major, secondary, different provision and particular colleges in England that need assistance to spice up their attendance.
Bridget Phillipson will ship a speech on Tuesday
‘Damaged relationship between colleges and households’
Shadow training secretary Bridget Phillipson will ship a speech on Labour’s imaginative and prescient for colleges on Tuesday, the place she is anticipated to put out a plan for tackling excessive charges of persistent absence.
She mentioned the “damaged relationship between colleges and households” wants fixing.
The Conservatives “are solely tinkering across the edges of a generational problem,” Ms Phillipson mentioned.
She added: “Persistent absence has reached historic ranges below the Conservatives, starting even earlier than the pandemic, they usually can’t be trusted to repair an issue that they’ve induced.
“Solely Labour has a long-term plan to deal with the attendance disaster and drive the excessive and rising requirements our kids deserve.”
Learn extra:
How COVID made ‘ghost youngsters’ downside worse
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Figures launched in September final 12 months confirmed that greater than 1.7 million youngsters have been persistently absent in 2021/2022, which means they missed 10% or extra of college.
The federal government has beforehand dedicated to introducing a children-not-in-school register, which might make it simpler to trace which pupils have been being electively home-educated, flexi-schooled, or receiving different training in an unregistered setting.
Training secretary Gillian Keegan reiterated the federal government’s intention to introduce the register in November final 12 months however did not say when the plans can be introduced earlier than parliament.
She mentioned there was “a number of work occurring”, and referenced a session that was launched on revised elective residence training steerage.
“The session is open till 18 January 2024. So there may be a number of work occurring and we do intend to deliver ahead that laws,” she mentioned within the Commons.
