Parents urged by Minister: Ensure children attend school and maintain proper conduct!
In a recent development, Laura Trott, the Shadow Education Secretary, has accused the Government of failing to address the issue of school discipline. Trott emphasised the importance of clear consequences for poor behavior, stating that such measures are necessary to protect pupils trying to learn and recognising when mainstream education may not be the right setting for those causing disruption.
The Government's schools' White Paper, set to be released soon, will outline further action to tackle bad behavior in class. Meanwhile, the support for the Attendance and Behaviour Hubs, which will be launched in 2025, is planned for 800 schools initially, with the aim to extend this support to 5,000 schools overall. These hubs are designed to share proven strategies from school leaders who have successfully improved attendance and behavior.
The Government has reported a significant improvement in school attendance. Last year, five million more days were recorded in the classroom, and 140,000 fewer pupils were persistently absent. This improvement, the biggest year-on-year improvement in a decade, is estimated to protect over £2 billion in pupils' future earnings.
However, Trott pointed out that there isn't a single mention of discipline in the entire Labour Schools Bill. Labour had the chance to take action on school discipline in their Schools Bill, but they failed. Trott called for Labour to back teachers to enforce discipline, not encourage schools to sign up to "inclusion charters" like Sadiq Khan in London.
The call is not just aimed at teachers and school leaders. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will issue a call to parents to ensure their children attend school and behave. The Government has also refused to back a ban on mobile phones in classrooms despite clear evidence it would improve behavior.
Recent figures show that seven out of 30 classroom minutes are lost to misbehavior by pupils. Nearly four out of five teachers felt that pupils' poor behavior had a negative impact on their health and well-being. Trott's call for action comes in response to these concerns, urging parents to take a more active role in ensuring their children's behavior is conducive to a positive learning environment.
