LONDON
ASSEMBLY
LABOUR
News release
20.10.23
For immediate use
Commenting on DfE data showing that persistent school absence has more than doubled since 2016, London Assembly Labour Health spokesperson, Onkar Sahota AM said:
“The growing vulnerability of young people under this Government is cause for significant worry. The number of ‘ghost’ children shows how social problems that drive school absences have worsened over time – and how overstretched kids’ support services have become. These figures indicate too many children are absent too often from school after the pandemic.
“Persistent absence is a red flag, increasing the likelihood of teenagers falling into poverty, addiction or crime. If we can get them the right support, this can help our whole community by stopping kids from falling out of the system in the first place.
“There are simple things the Government can do to keep children in school. Mental health services, support for young carers and addressing child poverty would help keep kids in school – and give them their futures back.”
ENDS
Notes:
Statistics regarding persistent pupil absences can be found in dataset Pupil absence in schools in England, updated 19 October 2023, available here.
Sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances were counted in 2020/21 and 2021/22, but not as an absence within absence rate data.
