Ofsted Raises Concerns Over Student Absences and “Flexi-Schooling”

England’s schools regulator, Ofsted, through its chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, has identified the “alarming” extent of children’s school absences as a “stubborn and damaging issue”. Sir Martyn Oliver also voiced apprehension regarding an increase in “flexi-schooling,” a practice where guardians provide home education for their children during portions of the week. The precise number of children receiving instruction in this way remains undetermined. The Department for Education (DfE) stated that the government is repositioning education “back at the forefront of national life.” Ofsted’s yearly report indicated that problems with attendance have “deepened” since the pandemic. Citing the most recent DfE statistics, the report noted that approximately 158,000 children were absent from at least half of their lessons during the autumn and spring terms of the previous academic year. In Knowsley, over 25% of students were categorized as persistently absent, which signifies missing 10% or more of the school calendar. Following Knowsley, Blackpool, Bradford, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Bristol, Torbay, and Plymouth recorded the subsequent highest rates of persistent absence, with 23% to 25% of students missing substantial amounts of school time. The Ofsted report additionally stated that education has “become fractured and fragmented for too many children.” This can encompass: Julian Francis, a parent residing in north London, informed the BBC that his Year 8 child, who has autism and ADHD, encountered difficulties attending school, even when on a reduced, part-time schedule. April, who uses they/them pronouns, has not been able to attend school fully since the pandemic began. The 12-year-old has experienced challenges learning in classroom settings with peers since the lifting of lockdown restrictions, particularly in noisy environments. Mr. Francis commented that April’s move to Frederick Bremer School was “well-managed.” “As schools go, it’s like the area’s flagship autism school. You probably couldn’t get any better in mainstream,” he stated. “That’s the reason why we picked it.” Nevertheless, despite receiving teacher support and having fewer school hours, April has continued to struggle. “The other week, I had to go and pick them up and they were in complete distress,” Mr. Francis recounted. “They couldn’t talk to me for 20 minutes until they had calmed down.” “They can’t even express how it feels – it’s just this complete overwhelming sense that they can’t deal with everything.” Mr. Francis and his wife are both employed full-time; consequently, while they assist April with homework, they are unable to be home constantly to facilitate home-schooling. April engages in extensive reading at home and recently completed The Great Gatsby; however, Mr. Francis worries that this may not directly aid them in examinations as it is not part of the curriculum. “If you talked to them, you’d say they had great general knowledge [and] they’re a well-educated child. “But the fact is they’re not going get any qualifications because they’re not on the pathway.” Mr. Francis indicated that his interactions with Frederick Bremer School were positive, attributing the difficulties to the broader national Send system. The BBC has reached out to Frederick Bremer School to request a statement regarding the matter of part-time schooling. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson recently disclosed a £740 million allocation aimed at expanding the availability of places for students with Send in mainstream educational institutions. When questioned about the government’s strategy for Send on BBC Radio 5 Live, she responded: “We just need to look afresh at the system as it stands. Parents have lost confidence, the outcomes for children are not good, and sadly we are spending ever rising amounts.” Ofsted further noted that this situation complicated children’s ability to obtain a coherent education. During a press briefing, Sir Martyn acknowledged that the increase in parents working remotely since the pandemic has negatively impacted attendance, especially on Fridays, a concern previously highlighted by England’s children’s commissioner last year. Ofsted additionally cautioned that a scarcity of skilled personnel, from early years education upwards, continued to pose a challenge, with recent data indicating that teacher recruitment objectives in England have not been met for the fourth year in a row. In his concluding remarks for Ofsted’s annual report, which addressed a wide array of subjects including attendance, Sir Martyn stated: “There are no silver bullets (and there will never be enough silver to go around), but many of the problems can be mitigated through joined-up thinking and partnership working.” A spokeswoman for the DfE commented: “As the report highlights, education is fundamental to the future success of this country – that’s why we are putting it back at the forefront of national life once again.” She further mentioned that the government is collaborating with Ofsted to implement school report cards, which are intended to “give parents a more complete picture of school performance” and contribute to raising standards. Concurrently, a report issued by Sport England indicates that the pandemic has exerted “a fundamental impact” on the physical activity routines of children. The report revealed that the proportion of Year 7 students capable of swimming 25 meters unaided was 70% in the latest data, a decrease from 77% recorded six years prior. It also suggested that girls are less prone to physical activity than boys, a trend observed among black and Asian children and those from less affluent socioeconomic backgrounds. Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England’s chief executive, stated: “The data shows that, for the children whose impressionable early years were defined by lockdowns and lack of activities, attitudes towards sport and physical activity are distinctly negative.” Clarification issued on December 13th: This article has been revised to more precisely delineate the various categories of school absence addressed in the Ofsted report and to clarify that Mr. Francis’ child was on a part-time school schedule, had a generally positive experience at the school, and that his observations pertain to the broader education system. Further reporting was contributed by Hayley Clarke. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.