‘1 in 4 parents now think it’s fine for children to skip school’ is something you hope to never read. Lockdown broke the habit of attendance for many- lots of institutions have seen numbers decrease because of it, like churches. Schools need to work hard to get them back. But…
84
57
304
Replies
@tombennett71
Schools and unions should also have worked on a plan for making up at least some of the missed days, for example by shortening hols. We did this in Japan - it was a good decision. UK schools did rather give the impression that time in school didn't matter much./3
7
1
8
@tombennett71
I hate sending my kid to school. Every day he has a reason not to attend, I feel a sense of relief. I would pull him out entirely but he wants to keep at it and graduate with his peers, so I’m not going to stand in his way. But it gives me major anxiety to send him.
6
0
6
@tombennett71
Happened in the US too. It's amazing how something we thought of as a given became optional in so many people's minds.
0
1
2
@tombennett71
Nope. False narrative being pushed by govt to push the blame onto parents. The primary reason for high levels of absence is the ONGOING pandemic. They know this,
@educationgovuk
HID their own data shoeing this on their website.
We’re currently in a huge Covid wave in England. Some experts are predicting that cases may be about to hit record highs.
And yet THIS 👇🏻 is the guidance for school kids.
It’s almost guaranteed that there will be children with Covid in every classroom.
This will not end well.
67
316
691
0
0
2
@tombennett71
The real story-
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE 🧵
DfE data on school absences for the first 3 weeks of Autumn term (up to 29 Sept) has just been published.
📍Across all state schools, ILLNESS is by far the biggest driver of pupil absences.
📍Absences due to illness DOUBLED in the first 3 weeks of term!
13
197
440
0
0
1
@tombennett71
If growing numbers of young people & parents fail to see the relevance of school maybe schools need to adjust what they offer.
4
0
10
@tombennett71
A government that reopened pubs before schools cannot complain that some parents think school is irrelevant.
3
4
50
1
0
10
@tombennett71
More money for counselling and other specialist care for students with mental health difficulties. Also, the combative approach by government and local authorities sets families against the system. Build bridges, not walls.
2
0
9
@tombennett71
Is it because teachers made the most of Covid, climate strikes and a whole host of other social causes to teach kids that being in school is no big deal?
0
0
6
@tombennett71
My son skipped school on the days they allowed a pastor in who employed a pedophile in the community centre he runs , for me it was about safeguarding .
0
0
6
@tombennett71
"skipping school" is unnecessary wording when so many young people are struggling with their mental health. They, and their parents need support, not branded as slackers. It is not going to be addressed like this.
2
0
32
@tombennett71
If you read past the headline 1 in 4 parent’s think it’s ok not to attend school every day. That’s different to skipping school. The pandemic taught us that being taught at home remotely also works. My son was almost 2 years behind his peers before the pandemic - not anymore.
2
0
24
@tombennett71
I don't wish to rag on the unions, but they did give every impression of wanting closures to go on longer than they did and however long the closures were, they always seemed to be wanting more and more. Hedged about with a lot of "Oh, please understand us, NOBODY wants schools/1
2
0
0
@tombennett71
to reopen more than we do, which is why the gov needs to [insert very long list of really impractical demands] so that we can reopen" etc. I supported and still support the first closure, but after summer 2020 schools should have reopened and not closed again. /2
0
0
1
@tombennett71
There is so much to me done in the relationship between schools and parents.
For too many parents school is a mystery, a closed shop, a pain, an expense, and a pressure. And so much misinformation.
What would we do if we could rethink it, from the application to a typical day?
1
0
1
