A quarter of pupils absent from school were off due to anxiety or mental health problems in June according to parents who took part in a Department for Education survey.
The latest parent and pupil survey published this week revealed that the second most common reason reported by parents for their child’s absence from school was anxiety or mental health problems (25 per cent), with leaders calling for the government to “redouble” efforts to address the growing problem.
This is up from 16 per cent reported by parents of pupils that had attended “some” or “most” days in the preceding two weeks when asked in March 2022, and follows warnings that schools are being left to deal with a “tsunami of pressures” hitting pupils’ wellbeing.
In June 2023, parents of secondary school pupils were more likely to say that the absence was owing to anxiety or mental health problems, with 29 per cent reporting this factor compared with 19 per cent of parents of primary school pupils.
And for parents of pupils eligible for free school meals, anxiety or mental health problems were also more likely to be given as a reason for absence (35 per cent compared with 20 per cent for those parents of pupils who were not eligible for FSM).
While there has been a large increase in the reporting by parents of pupils not attending school owing to mental health or anxiety, the percentage of pupils reporting this as a reason remains unchanged.
In June 2023 among pupils and learners, absence because of anxiety or mental health problems was the third most common reason given for absence (21 per cent), with the same proportion answering this way in March 2022.
Government should ‘redouble’ efforts
A greater proportion of pupils were absent from school owing to illness this September compared with the same period last year, according to the government’s latest school attendance data.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said that a “decade of cuts to services” has meant that the mental health care and the teams that used to support schools with attendance have been “decimated”.
Mr Whiteman said schools and parents are “often left with nowhere to turn for help”.
“This is not something schools can tackle alone and clearly parents are in need of support too.
“The government needs to redouble its efforts and commit the necessary resources to tackle this issue.”
Pupils and parents worried about rising costs
The survey also revealed that more than a third (34 per cent) of parents are worried about being able to afford meals at school for their child in the next academic year.
The response from students in Year 12 was similar, with 31 per cent reporting they are worried about being able to afford meals at school or college in the next academic year.
And female pupils also reported anxiety over being unable to access period products because of cost in the last 12 months.
Of those who reported anxiety over the cost, the most common impact was feeling worried or anxious (42 per cent), followed by struggling to concentrate on school or college work (29 per cent).
A total of 3,294 parents took part in the survey, split roughly half and half between those with pupils at primary and secondary schools.
