Pupil absence in English schools in 2002-03 was 6.83 per cent. Both authorised and unauthorised absence fell by around 0.2 percentage points.
Source: Pupil Absence in Schools in England 2002/03 (Revised), Statistical First Release 34/2003, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR (pdf)
Date: 2003-Dec
The government joined with the Association of British Travel Agents to call on parents to book family holidays in school holiday periods rather than during term-time. It said that penalty notices for truancy of up to 100 (due to be introduced in 2004 under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act) could be applied to parents who took children on term-time holidays without permission.
Source: Press release 30 December 2003, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Dec
Researchers examined disaffection among school pupils, by surveying teachers and producing case studies of inclusive practices. Disaffection was found to be a real problem for schools, but those providing motivating learning experiences were often isolated, and opportunities to spread best practice were being wasted.
Source: Richard Bailey and Jon Tan, Challenging Disaffection: Best practice and the management of disaffection, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Dec
Researchers examined the extent of, reasons for, and strategies to counter, the disproportionate numbers of minority ethnic pupils excluded from schools. Within schools in the same local education authorities, there was considerable variation in rates of exclusion and in the extent to which any minority ethnic group was disproportionately excluded. LEA training on the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 was not reaching large numbers of teachers or governors.
Source: Carl Parsons et al., Minority Ethnic Exclusions and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000: Interim summary, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (Word file)
Date: 2003-Nov
The government launched a national campaign against bullying in schools. The Make the Difference campaign brought together school heads and staff, pupils, local education authorities and voluntary organisations in a partnership to support schools in developing communities where bullying would not be tolerated.
Source: Bullying - A Charter for Action, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Charter (pdf) | DfES press release
Date: 2003-Nov
A report said that a 'lost generation' of 100,000 children had vanished from the school system. It said the government could tackle truancy by providing a more flexible national curriculum, placing practical and vocational education on an equal footing with academic learning. Children who had stronger practical skills could become disillusioned by a system that placed disproportionate weight upon academic attainment. The government said that proposals in its Green Paper on children's services were designed to ensure that the problem was tackled effectively.
Source: Missing Out: Key findings from Nacro's research on children missing school, National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (020 7582 6500) | Press release 26 November 2003, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: NACRO press release | DfES press release | Community Care report | Observer report
Date: 2003-Nov
The government said that a draft Bill would be published to enable some local authorities to pilot new arrangements for school transport to reduce road congestion. Better-off parents could be charged for school bus services currently offered free to all children living more than three miles away. Teachers said the possible consequences for truancy levels needed to be considered.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, 26 November 2003, columns 4-7 (Queen's Speech), TSO (0870 600 5522) | Press release 26 November 2003, National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (0121 453 6150)
Links: Text of Queen's Speech | BBC report | NASUWT press release
Date: 2003-Nov
Permanent exclusions from maintained schools in England in 2001-02 rose by 4.4 per cent, to 9,535. The number of exclusions had decreased by over 30 per cent from around 12,300 in 1997-98 to a low of just over 8,300 in 1999-2000, but then increased in the next two years.
Source: Permanent Exclusions from Maintained Schools in England, Statistical Bulletin 08-03, Department for Education and Skills, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Bulletin (pdf)
Date: 2003-Nov
Researchers examined the issue of pupils identified as school 'refusers' or school 'phobics' - those who exhibited symptoms of stress or anxiety about attending school. No clear definitions of the phenomenon were found among practitioners in local education authorities and schools. It was important to identify the particular factors operating in individual cases so that the most effective support could be offered to the children and families concerned.
Source: Tamsin Archer, Caroline Filmer-Sankey and Felicity Fletcher-Campbell, School Phobia and School Refusal: Research into causes and remedies, LGA Research Report 46, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Links: Summary | NFER press release
Date: 2003-Nov
The government began consultation on guidance covering the education-related provisions of the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill, including parenting orders and contracts arising from truancy and exclusion from school, and penalty notices for truancy. Teachers expressed 'grave doubts' over plans to issue fixed-penalty notices to parents (of between 25 and 100) where children were absent from classes without the permission of the school.
Source: Consultation on the Education-Related Provisions Included in the Anti-social Behaviour Bill, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260) | Press release 3 October 2003, Association of Teachers and Lecturers (020 7930 6441)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | DfES press release | Anti-social Behaviour Bill | ATL press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Oct
Parenting skills, dysfunctional families and television were named by teachers as the three most significant factors in the decline of pupil behaviour in schools.
Source: Research by Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International/University of Leicester, reported in Press release 22 October 2003, National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (0121 453 6150)
Links: NAS/UWT press release | Leicester University press release
Date: 2003-Oct
Provisional figures showed that the percentage of half days missed due to absence in schools in England for 2002-03 fell overall by 0.18 percentage points, to 6.84 per cent. Unauthorised absences fell by 0.01 points to 0.71 per cent. The government said that its 'Behaviour and Attendance Strategy' would be extended to all schools from September 2003, offering support to all schools to improve attendance and pupil behaviour.
Source: Pupil Absence in Schools in England: 2002/2003 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 24/2003, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288) | Press release 17 September 2003, Department for Education and Skills
Links: SFR (pdf) | DfES press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Sep
Researchers found divided opinions about the continuing usefulness of behaviour support plans. Suggestions for enhancement included a greater focus on the underlying causes of 'challenging' behaviour, and an increased consideration of early intervention strategies.
Source: Anne Wilkin, Annie Johnson, Kay Kinder, Helen Moor and Melanie Hall, An Evaluation of the Impact of
Behaviour Support Plans, Research Report 452, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
The government said that the threat of prosecution against the parents of persistent truants was spurring action to improve school attendance. Initial feedback from 21 local education authorities operating the new fast track to prosecution process showed that, in the first six months of operation, almost 1,500 parents of persistent truants had been threatened with court action, but in 50 per cent of cases the need for this had been avoided.
Source: Press release 2.7.03, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES press release
Date: 2003-Jul
The schools inspectorate said that efforts by local education authorities to improve pupil attendance were having a positive effect on the numbers of students staying on to study after they reached 16.
Source: Supporting Education for Students Aged 14-19 years: Evidence from the work of 12 LEAs, HMI 586, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833)
Links: Report (pdf) | OFSTED press release
Date: 2003-Jul
A survey found that three-quarters of all prosecutions in respect of school absence were brought against mothers. In 4 out of 5 cases the prosecution resulted in the parent being found guilty. About 1 in 7 cases were withdrawn, and fewer than 1 per cent of those prosecuted were found not guilty. Around 90 per cent (110 out of 122) of the education welfare service managers interviewed agreed with the general principle of prosecution, and 70 per cent felt that, at times, prosecution could be an effective strategy to combat non-attendance.
Source: Sally Kendall, Richard White and Kay Kinder, School Attendance and the Prosecution of Parents: Perspectives from education welfare service management - First report, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Links: NFER press release | Guardian report | DfES press release
Date: 2003-Jul
An evaluation of truancy sweeps stressed the importance of targeted action, in which areas were selected with reference to intelligence gathered from a range of sources. It said that, at the very minimum, truancy sweeps required joint working between the police and the education welfare service; and that there was a consensus that a non-confrontational approach, with a low-profile police presence, was best when approaching young people and their parents.
Source: Karen Halsey, Annie Johnson, Kay Kinder and Charlotte Fletcher-Morgan, Evaluation of Truancy Sweep Follow-ups, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (Word file) | Summary
Date: 2003-May
Research found that prosecuting parents for their children's truancy did little to reduce the overall level of absenteeism from schools.
Source: Research by Ming Zhang (Kingston upon Thames borough council), reported in The Guardian 29.5.03
Links: Research project summary | Guardian report
Date: 2003-May
There were 9,540 permanent exclusions from primary, secondary and special schools in 2001-02, according to provisional figures. This was 4 per cent higher than the previous year (9,135), but a decrease of 25 per cent since 1996-97. A teaching union said the policy of inclusion of all pupils into mainstream schools, particularly those with emotional and behavioural difficulties, was proving to be a 'disaster' for both the pupils concerned and their teachers.
Source: Permanent Exclusions from Schools and Exclusion Appeals, England 2001/2002 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 16/2003, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288) | Press release 29.5.03, National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (0121 453 6150)
Links: SFR (pdf) | NASUWT press release
Date: 2003-May
A study of absence from school concluded that the causes were complex and contested, and that reducing absences would need multi-agency working and changes in schools themselves.
Source: Heather Malcolm, Valerie Wilson, Julia Davidson and Susan Kirk, Absence from School: Study of its causes and effects in seven LEAs, Research Report 424, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-May
The government announced the extension of the 'behaviour improvement programme' to around 600 schools in 27 local education authorities - involving dedicated school behaviour support teams, additional truancy sweeps and electronic registration schemes.
Source: Press release 1.4.03, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES press release
Date: 2003-Apr
A study found that one in ten children in England aged 15-17 feel drinking disrupted their education at the crucial GCSE stage, as well as their health and family life.
Source: Annabel Boys et al., Teenage Drinkers: Follow-up study of alcohol use among 15-17 year olds in England, Alcohol Concern (020 7928 7377) and National Addiction Centre
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2003-Mar
Researchers evaluated alternative educational provision for young people permanently excluded from school, or who are out of school for other reasons, such as non-attendance. Over three-quarters of young people interviewed reported an improvement in their behaviour as a result of attending the alternative provision.
Source: Sally Kendall, Kay Kinder, Karen Halsey, Charlotte Fletcher-Morgan, Richard White and Celia Brown, An Evaluation of Alternative Education Initiatives, Research Report 403, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Mar
Two research reports were published on the problem of bullying in secondary schools. One report said that more than two-thirds of secondary school pupils in England would not find it easy to tell a teacher if they were being bullied - because they believe they would not be taken seriously or would suffer reprisals as a result of 'telling'. The schools inspectorate reported the results of a survey carried out in 2001-02 of schools and local education authorities which are working to eradicate bullying: it said that bullying is more common than adults sometimes think. Responding, the government promised that more action would be taken to prevent bullying.
Source: Christine Oliver and Mano Candappa, Tackling Bullying: Listening to the views of children and young people, Research Report 400, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260) | Bullying: Effective action in secondary schools, HMI 465, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833) | Press release 25.3.03, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES brief (pdf) | Ofsted report (pdf) | Childline press release | DfES press release | Ofsted press release | Institute of Education press release
Date: 2003-Mar
Researchers found that around 50 per cent of young people (aged 13-16) permanently excluded from school were engaged in education, training or employment two years later. No one type of provision was associated with achieving successful outcomes. Re-integration into mainstream schools often failed, but was a possible option in highly inclusive schools with good support from the local education authority.
Source: Harry Daniels, Ted Cole, Edward Sellman, Jane Sutton and John Visser with Julie Bedward, Study of Young People Permanently Excluded From School, Research Report 405, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Mar
The Law Lords upheld the right of teachers (under trade union law) to refuse to teach a pupil excluded because of their violent conduct.
Source: In re. P (a minor by his mother and litigation friend) (Appellant), UKHL 8 (Session 2002-03), House of Lords Judicial Office (020 7219 3111)
Links: Text of judgement | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Feb
Researchers examined best practice in the support of primary school pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Source: Jennifer Evans, Angela Harden, James Thomas and Pauline Benefield, Interventions for Pupils with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties in Primary Schools, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-Feb
Truancy sweeps in England in December 2002 led to the police finding 20,000 pupils out of school, of whom over a third did not have a valid reason for absence: of those, around half were found with a parent. The government confirmed plans to introduce fixed penalty notices and statutory parenting contracts later in 2003 for parents who persistently condone absenteeism.
Source: Press release 27.2.03, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: Press release
Date: 2003-Feb
The Law Lords decided (in a case where an appeals tribunal had reinstated a pupil following his exclusion) that 'reinstatement' means substantial restoration of the status quo before the exclusion, and not merely restoration of a formal relationship between school and pupil.
Source: In re. L (a minor by his father and litigation friend) (Appellant), UKHL 9 (Session 2002-03), House of Lords Judicial Office (020 7219 3111)
Links: Text of judgement
Date: 2003-Feb
