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School truancy figures force education chiefs to intervene
Levels of attendance have improved, but 36 schools face ‘strict monitoring’
WHITEHALL has stepped in to monitor school skiving after it was revealed more than 30 primary schools in Islington exceed the national target for absenteeism.
Although figures are not available for last year, the council has revealed that 64 parents were fined up to £100 each in 2006-07 because their children bunked off school.
Now – three years after it was discovered Islington had the worst rate of school absenteeism in the country – the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has been forced to step in.
This has plunged Islington into new depths, as the borough is placed in a government category stating it requires “intensive support”.
Although Islington’s record has improved since then, 32 primary and four secondary schools (IAMS, Islington Green, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Holloway), have been placed under strict monitoring by the DCSF.
The most recent figures, for 2006-07 show that 10.4 per cent of the secondary population (930 pupils) were labelled as having persistent absence while for primary schools over the same time the rate was 3.1 per cent.
The DCSF wants Islington to reach a 5 per cent overall rate by next year.
This means Islington will have to work under the supervision of a regional advisor, working for the government, who will devise six-weekly school action plans, helping them develop new policies and analyse statistics.
The extent of the problem was revealed at a meeting of the Town Hall’s overview committee on Tuesday.
The council has introduced a huge programme of measures – including increasing home visits to the families of truants – to combat the problem.
Education chief Councillor Ursula Woolley said: “I welcome the help we are getting from DCSF with school attendance.
“More than a third of all local authorities in the country are in the same position and getting the same intensive help, and for the sake of the future of our young people we must do all we can to improve this situation.”
Labour’s shadow education spokesman Councillor Richard Watts said: “It’s a great shame it’s come to this point. It shows the schools have been needing support from the council and the fact that they haven’t got that has forced the government to step in.
“I’ve no reason to believe the schools aren’t doing the right thing because I believe they are.”
Labour leader Catherine West said: “I’m concerned the council has been put into special measures by the government. The figures show that absenteeism is still a significant problem in the borough and the failure has an impact on the kids’ future.
“I’m also concerned that they are spending a ‘median’ amount of money on it when there’s a significant problem.”
The shock figures from 2005 prompted an urgent study into the problem, fronted by councillor Barbara Smith, then vice-chairwoman of the Town Hall’s overview committee.
The study’s findings, presented to Tuesday’s meeting, recommended following Tower Hamlets’ example, in which schools should almost never agree to pupils taking holidays or leave in term time.
If an exception is made, the policy says absences should be limited to 10 school days and, regardless of whether an absence is authorised or not, pupils should be expelled if absent for more than 20 days.
Islington has already increased the number of court actions taken against parents, with 254 court warnings and 64 penalty notices issued in 2006-07.
Absence rates remain higher than both the inner London and national rates.
The committee is also looking into copying a scheme being run in Kingston, where councils team up with travel agents to offer parents discounts for taking children on holiday during school breaks.
A DCSF spokeswoman said: “We have identified local authorities with the highest levels of persistent absence so we can support them in helping their schools to address this issue.
“We want all children to have the chance to reach their full potential and ensuring that they are getting a good education is an important part of that.” |
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