Reasons for optimism despite Department for Education attendance figures

Reasons for optimism despite Department for Education attendance figures

The Department for Education has released statistics about attendance which have shown that the number of students who have been absent due to potential Covid contact has almost doubled within a week.

These headline figures paint an alarming picture of rising covid cases in schools, showing that 46,900 pupils were off this week in comparison to 25,200 who were off last week. Despite this, however, the actual overall number of confirmed cases was low, rising by only 300 to 2,700 pupils, with those isolating due to a suspected case rising by just under 4,000 to 11,600 pupils. The overall attendance across schools averaged around 90% with the percentage change since the beginning of the autumn term being very low, decreasing only one percent across the board. 

This national picture was mirrored in the North East.  A Schools North East survey asking schools about the ‘full’ return to school since the beginning of the summer term aimed to find out what the picture was across the region’s schools in terms of attendance levels and if any significant changes were being experienced. From the responses, we found that the majority (85.7%) of schools reported an attendance of 90-100%, with only  7% of schools reporting 80-90% or 60-70% attendance rates. Alongside this, the findings show that the change in attendance is mainly about the same or slightly lower than the previous week. This is in keeping with the attendance statistics reported by the Department this week with the percentage change in attendance being fairly insignificant. 

Despite relatively high levels of attendance across the board, over 70% of schools have not had a confirmed positive Covid case. This suggests that the “significant” rise reported by the DfE in absentee cases may only be due to this being the second week of all schools fully returning after Easter; there was already an expectation that cases would rise with more testing of more people in a concentrated area rather than a significant rise in underlying infection rates.

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 

“Small fluctuations in attendance are always likely because of Covid rules which mean that any positive cases necessitate the self-isolation of close contacts. What is remarkable is how well attendance is holding up. This is cause for a great deal of optimism that we are at last leaving behind the misery and disruption of the last year and heading into a more stable period of educational continuity. That is great news for pupils, parents, staff, and communities. Schools and colleges have done an absolutely fantastic job of navigating through the turbulence of the pandemic. There is still some way to go and there is a need for continued caution, but the signs are very good indeed.”

The Department for Education and the education media seem to be focussing their efforts in the wrong place by looking solely at attendance figures and picturing these as worrying. The focal point should be on reintegration of pupils as well as staff. Our survey found that there had been additional/exceptional behaviour problems in over half of schools since the return in summer with main concerns being low level disruption, social interaction issues and the struggle to follow the routine of a school day as they potentially did not follow a rigid structure when learning from home. Additionally, there were huge concerns around student wellbeing with the majority of the respondents reporting that mental health issues- particularly anxiety- were commonplace, with pupils either no longer comfortable with being around large groups or the uncertainty around how exactly they will be graded for exams generating a lot of stress and anxiety.  There were also concerns regarding primary pupils in year 6, with increased reports of anxiety around moving up to secondary school after losing out on their final year of primary, and losing the usual preparation and visits to a fully functioning secondary school. There is still a lot of uncertainty for what next year will bring and it has been felt by both staff and students.

Schools North East would like to thank those who contributed to our survey and our understanding of the regional picture. If we have not heard from you we would love for you to share your experiences so far by filling out this survey. Additionally, to hear from colleagues and a range of mental healthy experts on how you can support your pupil’s well being in school, sign up for our Healthy MindED conference taking place on 12th and 13th May 2021, by clicking the banner below.