Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has called on parents to take greater responsibility for getting children to school and ensuring good behaviour. The government is simultaneously rolling out new support measures as around 600,000 pupils across 800 schools will receive assistance from attendance and behaviour hubs.
Phillipson said: "I am calling on parents, schools and families to join us in playing their part to get children in class and ready to learn for the start of the new school term." She emphasised that progress has been made with five million additional school days this year.
However, she stressed: "But we all need to do more, and when it comes to getting kids in and behaving - this includes mums, dads and carers too."
Concerns over white working-class pupils
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Phillipson highlighted particular concerns about white working-class children. She stated that "for far too many white working-class children, opportunity is out of reach" with concerning statistics emerging.
One in 10 white children on free school meals were suspended last year, with suspension rates five times higher than their peers. This same group also shows among the highest overall absence rates, according to the Education Secretary.
Phillipson described how "these children are swimming upstream against a staggering, entrenched class divide that sees them disproportionately kicked out of education or not attending in the first place." She insisted that "it is only this Government that has the courage to upend a system that has resolutely failed white working-class children."
New hub programme launched
The Department for Education announced 21 schools will initially serve as attendance and behaviour hubs. These hub schools will share strategies from experienced leaders who have successfully improved attendance and behaviour in their institutions.
The programme aims to eventually support 5,000 schools, including intensive support for 500 institutions. Government data reveals that seven out of every 30 classroom minutes are currently lost to disruption.
Two ambassadors have been appointed to support the initiative: Tom Bennett, who previously advised the Department for Education on behaviour, and former pupil referral unit headteacher Jayne Lowe. Bennett said: "Every child deserves a school that is safe and calm, where they can be treated with dignity - and so do all school staff."
Parental role and safety concerns
Jason Elsom, chief executive of charity Parentkind, emphasised the crucial role of families in addressing attendance issues. He said: "Parents play a vital role in assuring that their children attend school and establish expectations for their children's behaviour. Getting it right with parents is a big part of the answer."
A Parentkind survey of more than 5,000 parents in 2024 found that 15 per cent reported their child feels unsafe at school. The findings highlight broader concerns about the school environment and its impact on attendance.
The Department for Education's white paper, expected to be published in the autumn, will set out further plans to tackle behaviour in schools.
Mixed responses from education sector
The Association of School and College Leaders welcomed the call for parental involvement. General secretary Pepe Di'Iasio said: "It is only through working collectively - families and school together - that we will get to grips with these issues."
However, Di'Iasio called for "much more action from the Government" to support schools, citing chronic underfunding. He argued it is "extremely difficult to put in place the pastoral systems necessary to support children and young people given the chronic underfunding of the education system."
A NASUWT teaching union survey found that 81 per cent of more than 5,800 members felt violent and abusive behaviour among pupils had increased. Government figures from July showed suspensions and exclusions reached record highs in 2023/24.
While overall absence rates decreased in autumn 2024/25, severely absent pupils increased from 142,000 to 148,000 compared to the previous year. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott (Conservative) criticised the government's approach, stating: "Labour had the chance to take action in their Schools Bill, but they failed. There isn't a single mention of discipline in the entire Bill."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
