It is accepted that missing school is bad for pupils - not just in terms of their academic attainment but also their wellbeing and mental health.
That is why since the Covid lockdowns and the rise in non-attendance that followed, there has been such a focus on getting children back into the habit of going to school.
But now research from the University of Strathclyde, in Glasgow, shows that at certain times in a pupil’s time at school, the negative impact of non-attendance is more significant.
School attendance during transition ‘critical’
The researchers found that absences “negatively affect educational attainment” at all stages of school but are “especially harmful” during the transition from primary to secondary and in the early to middle secondary stages.
They call for improving attendance at this “critical stage” to be “a top priority for policymakers and practitioners”, given that the end of primary school is “especially important for preparing pupils for the next stage of their education, and those who miss out on this crucial experience are likely to suffer in the long run”.
The study also found that authorised and unauthorised absences “harm educational attainment equally”, and warns against focusing only on chronic or persistent absenteeism. The researchers say policymakers and school leaders must also focus on “moderate absences, as they accumulate over time and significantly impact achievement”.
The study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, is timely in the post-Covid context, as earlier this year the Scottish government published figures on persistent absence.
The overall persistent absence rate for 2022-23 was 32.5 per cent, meaning that just under a third of pupils in Scotland had an absence rate of 10 per cent or more. However, persistent absence was higher in secondary, where 41 per cent of students had an absence rate of 10 per cent or more.
Meanwhile, in three local authorities over half of secondary students were persistently absent: North Lanarkshire (50.2 per cent persistently absent in secondary); South Ayrshire (50.2 per cent); and West Dunbartonshire (55.6 per cent).
‘Multiple challenges’ at start of secondary
The report’s authors write: “The beginning of secondary school requires students to navigate multiple transitional challenges ranging from friendships, teachers and a new curriculum. This can be a demanding time for some students in addition to negotiating adolescence. According to our findings, missing school at this stage has the most damaging consequences for achievement.”
They add: “As a result, it should be the crucial stage for schools and policymakers to monitor and support attendance. Where absences are unavoidable, opportunities for students to catch up on missed lessons should be implemented to mitigate the negative consequences of being absent.”
They also say that, given that authorised and unauthorised absences “equally hurt achievement, policymakers should focus on reducing both types of absences”.
School attendance was the subject of a Tes Scotland webinar in July, with a particular focus on internal truancy.
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