A report said that a lack of awareness by schools and local authorities of the signs that a child was running away from home, together with cuts to school and local authority budgets, was leading to missed opportunities to intervene before children found themselves in dangerous or harmful situations.
Source: Natalie Williams, Lessons to Learn: Exploring the links between running away and absence from school, Children s Society
Links: Report | Childrens Society press release
Date: 2012-Dec
A report examined school truancy as an issue within 'troubled' families, and what schools needed to do to tackle truancy effectively. Children's truancy and exclusion from school were usually 'presenting issues' for a range of multiple complex needs in the family that had gone unaddressed hitherto.
Source: The Troubled Families Programme: What's needed to deliver outcomes on school attendance and exclusion, Family Action
Links: Report | Family Action press release
Date: 2012-Nov
A research report brought together evidence regarding pupil behaviour in schools in England. It examined what was known about the nature and standard of behaviour in English schools; the impact of poor behaviour on pupils and teachers; and what schools and teachers could do to promote good pupil behaviour. It also drew on international evidence to compare what was happening in England with other nations.
Source: Pupil Behaviour in Schools in England, Research Report RR218, Department for Education
Links: Report | DE press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Jun
The inspectorate for education and children's services examined what schools could do to create a positive school culture and to prevent and tackle bullying.
Source: No Place for Bullying: How schools create a positive culture and prevent and tackle bullying, HMI 110179, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | EVAW press release
Date: 2012-Jun
A research report examined ways of improving attendance in schools serving deprived areas in Northern Ireland. Although there was no single solution to the problem, a range of strategies could help promote good attendance.
Source: RSM McClure Watters, Research Into Improving Attendance in Schools Serving Deprived Areas, Northern Ireland Executive
Links: Report | NIE press release
Date: 2012-May
An article examined how school attendance rates could be improved and truancy reduced. It considered published data before looking at the implications from a strategic and managerial perspective. A short action plan was presented that could be followed by national governments, local authorities, schools, and teachers – as well as for pointing the way forward for future research.
Source: Ken Reid, 'The strategic management of truancy and school absenteeism: finding solutions from a national perspective', Educational Review, Volume 64 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
The coalition government's expert adviser on behaviour in schools in England called for a crackdown on primary school absence to make sure that it was not a problem later on in life. He called for the government to publish data on attendance in reception classes along with local and national averages; for primary schools to identify at an early stage those children who were developing a pattern of absence; and for primary schools to support parents in nursery and reception classes who were failing to get their children to school. He said that the parents of children who persistently truanted should have their child benefit cut.
Source: Charlie Taylor (Government s Expert Adviser on Behaviour), Improving Attendance at School, Department for Education
Links: Report | DE press release | ATL press release | Barnardos press release | Family Lives press release | Labour Party press release | NAHT press release | NUT press release | Voice press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Apr
The children's watchdog for England said that most schools worked hard to cater for troubled students. But some schools had admitted (for the first time on record) illegally excluding children – with some academies refusing to comply with official guidance on exclusions. It said that children should only be sent home for safety reasons or to prevent disruption to other pupils: they should no longer be expelled or suspended for 'minor infringements', because of the potential damage to their education and to their general life prospects. There should be a ban on expulsions for those aged 7 or under – even for serious offences.
Source: 'They Never Give Up On You', Office of the Children's Commissioner
Links: Report | Summary | OCC press release | ASCL press release | ATL press release | Barnardos press release | Family Lives press release | Labour Party press release | NAHT press release | Nasen press release | NCB press release | NUT press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined recent debate and evidence regarding school exclusions. It consider whether there had been any improvement, and any examples of good practice, in attempts to address disproportionality in the numbers of particular social groups who were excluded. It looked at the equality and human rights context of exclusions, and whether recent changes to the exclusions system were likely to assist or hinder the advancement of equality and protection of the rights of pupils.
Source: Brenda Parkes, 'Exclusion of pupils from school in the UK', Equal Rights Review, Volume 8
Links: Article
Date: 2012-Mar
An independent review recommended that new trainee teachers be allowed to do some of their teacher training in pupil referral units (PRUs), where children excluded from mainstream education were taught, in order to develop key skills in managing disruptive behaviour. 'Outstanding' PRUs should take advantage of academy freedoms so that they could help drive up quality of provision and develop closer relationships with schools in their area. Where PRUs were failing, they should be taken over by successful PRUs, successful alternative providers, or by academy sponsors.
Source: Charlie Taylor (Government Expert Adviser), Improving Alternative Provision, Department for Education
Links: Report | Letter (response) | Hansard | DE press release | ASCL press release | ATL press release | Barnardos press release | Labour Party press release | NUT press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Mar
A report examined pupil exclusions in the maintained education sector in England. The rate of permanent exclusions had been on a downward trend since 1995-96. The most common reason recorded for exclusions in 2009-10 was persistent disruptive behaviour. Pupils with a statement of special educational needs (SEN) were almost seven times more likely to receive a permanent exclusion than pupils with no SEN. Pupils who were known to be eligible for free school meals were around four times more likely to receive a permanent exclusion than the school population as a whole, as were Black Caribbean pupils.
Source: A Profile of Pupil Exclusions in England, Research Report RR190, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Feb
An article examined the relationship between a range of family factors and the bullying and/or victimization of adolescents in school and at home.
Source: Dieter Wolke and Alexandra Skew, 'Family factors, bullying victimisation and wellbeing in adolescents', Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, Volume 3 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jan
