Select committee: Education Committee
Recommendation 7
Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Programme fit for purpose?
Published 10 Mar 2022
Paragraph 38
Addressed to Department for Education
Education Committee The Government’s Catch-up programme All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Rates of persistent absence remain concerning, and the number of ‘ghost children’ who are experiencing severe levels of absence from school remains far too high. The Government needs to do much more to get these children back in school, which is the best place to ensure they will be safe and reach their potential. The Department should also be publishing more regular, up-to-date data, on the number of persistently absent children, including data on children with special educational needs and disabilities.
From: Education Committee, Fourth Report - Is the Catch-up Programme fit for purpose? (HC 940), paragraph 38, 10 March 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 25 May 2022 (deadline 10 May 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says it "agrees with the overarching ambition of the report" and that it accepts "most of the recommendations", while not fully accepting or only partially accepting others because existing or planned policies will support its vision.
- On tutoring, it will not extend Randstad's contract beyond its initial term, which "expires on 31 August 2022", and will reprocure delivery partners. All tutoring funding will go directly to schools next year.
- On a national register of children not in school, it reaffirms its commitment to local authority registers and says "We hope to legislate for this at the next suitable opportunity."
- On a mental health assessment for all pupils, it states "we do not believe that it is practical, nor necessary, for every child to undergo a clinical assessment of their mental health and wellbeing."
- On the school day, it will introduce a minimum expectation of a 32.5 hour week in state-funded mainstream schools, which it expects schools to work towards "as soon as possible and by September 2023 at the latest".