Education secretary warns of school absence 'epidemic' as a third of children have tried to miss school this year
24 February 2025, 16:22
Almost a third of children have refused to go to school at least one in the past year.
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Nearly a third of UK children have refused to go to school at least once in the past year, polling shows, in a school absence "epidemic".
Polling by Parentkind, revealed by The Times, shows that one in six children have been routinely absent from school this academic year.
Education secretary, Bridget Phillipson warned: “We need a national effort to tackle the epidemic of school absence so we can give all children the best start in life — with government, schools, and parents all playing their part."
The poll found that 330,000 children have missed two or more weeks of school this year.
Eleanor Ells, 15, speaking to The Times, suffers from Long Covid and struggles to attend school due to exhaustion.
"Missing school makes me feel lonely and sad," she said.
Her mother, Victoria, said some teachers were supportive, but others did not understand.
“I had to email them to explain why she couldn’t concentrate in class — it wasn’t that she wasn’t listening, it was her condition, so that was frustrating,” she said.
Parentkind estimate that 3.3 million children did not attend school for at least one day last year, and a third of parents argue with their child about going to school every week.
Bridget Phillipson has said she plans to send letters to the 100 academy trusts and local authorities with the worst school attendance rates.
She said: “This powerful research shows parents understand that every day matters — and we are doing the urgent work to support them as we turn the tide on children missing school.
"This includes making attendance a key focus of school inspections, providing access to mental health professionals for all schools, and reforming the special educational needs system.”
Chief Executive of Parentkind, Jason Elsom, said: “Children should go to school if they can and 96 per cent of parents agree. The rhetoric over school absence needs to reflect this. We need an end to the finger-wagging approach and need to give parents more support.
“Life is getting harder for a large number of parents. They are really trying but for many, it is a regular struggle. We need support for parents where this is becoming a serious problem.”
