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11
Dec
Huge increase in school absences in North Yorkshire
The number of pupil absences in North Yorkshire schools has almost doubled in the last two years.
North Yorkshire Council held an event at Pavilions of Harrogate this month to tackle the issue.
There were 10,076 suspensions representing a total of 19,600 days of lost learning in 2023/24.
This compares with 5,058 suspensions in the academic year of 2021/22, representing 10,076 lost days.
The number of permanent exclusions has also doubled, from 54 pupils in 2021/22 to 112 this year. More than half of these pupils have special educational needs and disabilities.
Cllr Annabel Wilkinson who admitted many pupils are missing school through all forms of lost learning.
North Yorkshire Council address the issues
More than 150 school leaders, councillors and representatives from the council’s children and young people’s service attended the Education Matters event at Pavilions of Harrogate to discuss ways to get more children to remain in school
Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, the council’s Conservative executive member for education, learning and skills, said:
The challenges following the pandemic continue. Some of our young people are struggling with their mental health, we have more children not attending school, more children with education and health care plans, more children in care and we’re in the most challenging place financially.
School is the place of safety for young children. However, many are missing school through all forms of lost learning.
Cllr Janet Sanderson, the council’s executive member for children and families, added:
The challenges schools face are getting greater as the public purse tightens. This event is important as it shows the commitment we all have to get our children and young people back into learning and with the support they need.
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Education secretary Bridget Phillipson recently said a third of 15-year-olds do not feel they belong in school.
She claimed there is an “absence epidemic” nationally, with one in five children persistently absent, missing a day of school every other week.
She also acknowledged that the special educational needs and disabilities system is “failing families on every measure”.
The council receives about £644 of special educational needs and disabilities funding per pupil, while the top funded local authority nationally gets £1,154 per pupil.
Stuart Carlton, the council’s corporate director for children and young people’s services, said:
We, like other local authorities, have financial challenges with funding SEND provision, combined with a SEND system that isn’t fit for purpose.
At the same time, we’re in a climate of children not attending school and missing out on their learning. This lost learning has a negative impact on their future with poor exam results and poor job outlooks. We need to turn this around and get children back in the classroom with the dedicated and passionate teachers we have in the county.
Schools and trusts must create welcoming, engaging and inclusive spaces for pupils. Our children and young people develop a sense of belonging when they attend school and this maximises their opportunities for life.
Change is coming and by working together we can come up with the solutions.
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