Town heads fight to beat school truancy

£5M SCHEME TO TACKLE CLASSROOM ABSENCES IS LAUNCHED

MIDDLESBROUGH has been selected as the first area to take part in a government scheme to combat low school attendance rates.

The £5m attendance mentors pilot project will deliver targeted one-to-one support for persistently and severely absent pupils.

Mentors will work closely with children and their families to address any reasons why they may not be attending school.

The project will start in Middlesbrough and then roll out to four other areas in year two and continue in all five areas in year three.

Last year, the town had an absence rate of 5.7% and a persistent absence rate of 16.7%, which is higher than the national averages of 4.6% and 12.1%.

Earlier this year Middlesbrough was named as an education investment area alongside 54 other places in England.

These are areas where schools are performing poorly and will be prioritised as locations for new specialist sixth-form free schools.

The scheme also includes plans

for the Department for Education to provide retention payments to keep top teachers in high-priority subjects.

The government has also committed to ensuring 90% of all children leaving primary school in England are reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths by 2030. In 2019 only 65% of pupils met all three standards.

The Schools White Paper published in March said the government will expect schools and local authorities to work closely to reengage children who are severely absent (those have missed more than 50% of lessons).

The report added: “Children with no absence at key stage four are almost twice as likely to achieve five or more GCSEs than children who missed 10-15% of lessons.

“Persistent absence impacts attainment and children’s safety, with 90% of young offenders persistently absent, and disruptive behaviour is the most common reason for suspensions and permanent exclusion.”

Cllr Mieka Smiles, the council’s executive member for children’s services, has welcomed the scheme.

She said: “We want our children to have the best possible start in life but too many are missing school and in doing so are harming their life chances.

“It’s vital we build on the great work we already do to ensure students fulfil their potential and don’t get left behind.

“We’re happy to be working with the DfE on this ground-breaking programme which has the potential to shape lives for the better, not just in Middlesbrough but across the country.”