Today, Bridget Phillipson MP, has set out her vision for tackling the key problem of absence in schools and how Labour’s first priority would be to rebuild the broken relationship between schools, families, and the government.
These proposed measures, including free breakfast clubs for primary schools, where set out by the Shadow Secretary of State for Education at an event at the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) on Tuesday 9 January. The plans also include increased funding for early speech and language interventions.
“Every day our children are in school is so incredibly important,” said Phillipson. “It damages their life chances when they aren’t there. “So it’s about that partnership we need to see between parents and schools, but also between schools and government, because governments have responsibilities as well.”
In a response to the speech, Simon Connell, Chief Executive of the Baker Dearing Trust, a programme created to bolster the provision of university technical colleges (UTCs), said: “We welcome Labour’s drive to improve attendance. As Bridget Phillipson stated, low attendance levels are failing our future.
“But we cannot expect a return to pre-COVID attendance levels due to small policy tweaks. We need to reset our approach to education.
“Students must see how education can improve their life chances, no matter their background. That means a much clearer link between school and careers, with employers inputting into the curriculum, and technical and creative subjects being reintroduced into mainstream schools.
“Many students at UTCs, which deliver an employer-led technical or creative curriculum, report that their attendance has improved from their last school because UTCs provide something new every day.
“We will see attendance improve when students, as decision-makers, appreciate schools are engines of opportunity that can improve their life chances.
“The Baker Dearing Educational Trust looks forward to working with Labour to tackle absenteeism, including through our innovative UTC Sleeve initiative.”
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