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Select Committee · Education Committee

Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils

Status: Closed Opened: 12 Jan 2023 Closed: 27 May 2024 23 recommendations 14 conclusions 1 report

The Education Committee has launched an inquiry into persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils. This inquiry will focus on the issue of persistent and severe absence in schools, with a focus on supporting disadvantaged pupils. The inquiry aims to examine the issue of persistent and severe absence and the factors causing it and to … Show more

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Seventh Report - Persistent absence and support for disadva… HC 970 27 Sep 2023 37 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

1 item
28 Recommendation Seventh Report - Persistent absence and… Rejected

Lack of authorised mental health absence code burdens families with medical evidence.

Mental health-related absences are not commonly authorised by schools, sometimes due to requirements to provide medical evidence which can often lead to fines or prosecution for families. The introduction of an authorised mental health absence code could eliminate the need for medical evidence in cases of known and established mental … Read more

Government response AI summary
The Government rejects introducing a specific mental health absence code, arguing it would be unhelpful, burdensome for schools to differentiate illness types, and likely lead to inaccurate data, while affirming existing guidance for authorising mental health-related absences under the 'illness' code.
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Department for Education

Oral evidence sessions

4 sessions
Date Witnesses
27 Jun 2023 Graham Archer · Department for Education, Rt Hon Nick Gibb · Department for Education View ↗
6 Jun 2023 David Holmes · Family Action, Declan Barker · Nottingham City Council, Jonathan Pauley · City Inspires, Leigh Middleton · National Youth Agency, Nathan Persaud · School of Hard Knocks (SoHK) View ↗
16 May 2023 Diana Sutton · Bell Foundation, Dr Claudia Sumner · Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), Dr Daniel Stavrou · Special Education Consortium, Ellie Costello · Square Peg, Pauline Anderson OBE · Traveller Movement, Vicki Nash · Mind View ↗
7 Mar 2023 Alice Wilcock · Centre for Social Justice, Cllr Lucy Nethsingha · Local Government Association, Dame Rachel de Souza · Office of the Children's Commissioner for England, Mr Rob Williams · National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) View ↗

Who gave evidence

17 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Alice Wilcock · Head of Education Centre for Social Justice 1
Cllr Lucy Nethsingha · Deputy Chair of the Local Government Association’… Local Government Association 1
Dame Rachel de Souza · Children’s Commissioner for England Office of the Children's Commissioner for England 1
David Holmes · CEO Family Action 1
Declan Barker · HAF Manager Nottingham City Council 1
Diana Sutton · Director Bell Foundation 1
Dr Claudia Sumner · London Advocacy Manager Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) 1
Dr Daniel Stavrou · Policy Vice Chair Special Education Consortium 1
Ellie Costello · Executive Director Square Peg 1
Graham Archer · Interim Director General for Families Group Department for Education 1
Jonathan Pauley · 11+ Education Manager City Inspires 1
Leigh Middleton · CEO National Youth Agency 1
Mr Rob Williams · Senior Policy Adviser National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) 1
Nathan Persaud · Programmes Director for England School of Hard Knocks (SoHK) 1
Pauline Anderson OBE · Chair of Trustees Traveller Movement 1
Rt Hon Nick Gibb · Minister of State for Schools Department for Education 1
Vicki Nash · Associate Director of External Relations Mind 1