Politicians “constantly running down schools” gives the impression that they “can’t be trusted” and undermines efforts to improve attendance, a leading headteacher will say today.
Speaking at the start of the union’s annual conference today, John Camp, president of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), is also expected to warn that some politicians and commentators are “far too quick to take potshots at schools”.
Mr Camp will tell school leaders this is creating a “febrile climate” as a new ASCL survey reveals that nearly half of headteachers (48 per cent) reported that pupils have been off this year because of a dispute with the school.
The ASCL president will say this is “an extreme - but apparently common - example of the fracturing of that unwritten social contract”.
The warning comes after a Tes investigation revealed that more than eight in 10 school leaders are seeing an increase in vexatious complaints, creating an “unmanageable” drain on resources.
Mr Camp will say: “It often seems like some politicians and commentators are far too quick to take potshots at schools. Potshots that are often based on confused perceptions, political agendas and which are generally misplaced.”
And Mr Camp will warn that it sometimes feels like schools are used “as a political football”.
“It should surely be obvious that if we are going to tell parents that school is essential; that - to quote the Department for Education’s own campaign ‘moments matter, attendance counts’ - then education needs to be something that is held in esteem,” Mr Camp will add.
Politicians ‘helping to create a division’
The president of ASCL is expected to say: “And if politicians and commentators are constantly running down teachers and schools, and giving the impression that we can’t be trusted, then they’re helping to create a division.
“I don’t, of course, think that this, on its own, is the reason for that fracturing of the social contract that I spoke about. But it certainly doesn’t help. It creates a febrile climate. And when social media is added into the mix, things can get very nasty, very quickly. As I am sure many of us have experienced.”
Mr Camp will speak today as ASCL publishes the results of a survey of more than 8,000 teachers and school leaders that scrutinised the reasons behind pupil absence this year.
The president of ASCL’s comments come amid a government attendance campaign and pupil absence crisis.
Term-time holidays
The survey on the reasons behind school absence this year, carried out by Teacher Tapp, revealed that 87 per cent of teachers and leaders said absence was owing to the family wanting to take a holiday during term time.
And 66 per cent reported that absence was owing to the pupil being too anxious about school to attend.
On the importance of the social contract, Mr Camp is expected to ask how the profession can expect to recruit teachers “if the discourse around education is so often negative?”
The government missed its target for recruitment of secondary teacher trainees by 50 per cent this year, according to government data.
And the number of state-school teachers leaving the profession hit its highest rate in four years in the academic year 2021-22, with one in 10 (43,997) recorded as having quit the classroom.
A DfE spokesperson said: “We proudly celebrate our hard-working teachers and school leaders who have helped us create a world-class education system.”
The spokesperson added that “good attendance is vital” to boost attainment “as well as for a child’s wellbeing and development”.
“Thanks to our fantastic teachers, and our package of wide-ranging reforms designed to support schools to improve attendance, we are already seeing rapid improvement, with 380,000 fewer children persistently absent last year alone.”
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