The third session of the House of Commons Education Committee’s inquiry into persistent absence and support for disadvantaged children took place this week, with questions focussing on wider support children and young people receive to improve attendance.
David Holmes, CEO of Family Action, spoke to the committee about the National School Breakfast Programme. He said that the scheme had so far shown an improvement in punctuality, with a 28% reduction in late marks for those accessing school breakfast clubs.
Holmes went on to say that they are now looking at what impact breakfast clubs had on attendance. He noted that while schools did report an impact, there is a spectrum of attendance challenges, and school breakfasts only address certain issues. Breakfast clubs gave a different start to the school day, and supported the transition from home to the classroom. He argued that an intelligent approach is needed to persistent and severe absences, and that a really well planned breakfast club has a role to play in the aftermath of the pandemic, as well as supporting families during the cost of living crisis.
This week DfE published its schools, pupils, and their characteristics data. In January 2023, over 2 million pupils were eligible for free school meals, 23.8% of all pupils. This is an increase of 122,000 pupils since January 2022, when 1.9 million (22.5%) pupils were eligible for free school meals. All regions saw an increase in FSM students, with the North East continuing to have the highest rates at 30.4%.
Chair of the Education Committee, Robin Walker MP, also asked about the impact of sports based activities. Programmes Director for England at School of Hard Knocks, Nathan Persuad, said that sports are an enjoyable form of activity, and act as an antidote to low mood and anxiety. He argued that sports are an important place for students to practice resilience, with direct feedback from teachers.
Schools North East has submitted written evidence to the committee’s inquiry, which can be read here.
