Huge North-South divide in school attendance is creating educational inequalities, report says

In Knowsley, Merseyside, unauthorised absences have reached 7.3 per cent, two and a half times the national average of 2.9 per cent.

In Bradford and Middlesbrough, the rate is 5.2 per cent, while in Sheffield it is 4.7 per cent.

The only Southern local authority in the top 10 is the London borough of Islington.

The data, the NPP says, highlights the urgent need for the Government to tackle the root causes of persistent and severe non-attendance as part of a drive to narrow the North-South education divide.

Experts say that such absences severely impact children’s life chances and also will have effects on the economy and wider society.

The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said that one of her priorities is tackling the “baked-in massive inequality into the education system, including regional disparities”.

Last year, the Government put an additional £15 million into the attendance mentoring scheme, which focuses on areas with high levels of unauthorised absences.

Baroness Longfield, the former Children’s Commissioner said that “many schools are struggling as a result of the falling value of pupil premium, and deserve the same opportunities as their more affluent peers in other parts of the country”.

The Ilkley-based founder of the Centre for Young Lives explained: “For many of the families on the lowest incomes, the cost of living crisis, including struggling to meet the costs of transport and uniform, can lead to some children experiencing a double hit of lost learning – the Covid pandemic followed by a fall in school attendance since.

“The Prime Minister has set the challenge of addressing the North – South divide in education. More of the same isn’t good enough.

“We need an education system that works for all children, including those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly some of the poorest areas in the North.”

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, added: “The government has rightly acknowledged that raising standards on average across the country, when so many of the most disadvantaged have been left behind in northern towns and cities, isn’t good enough.”

“Northern school leaders and those across the public and private sectors stand ready to work together to tackle the attendance crisis, but we cannot repeat the mistakes of the last government to try and do more and more from Whitehall.

“That means instead locally delivered and tailored solutions, building on what worked in our Opportunity Areas in places including Blackpool and Bradford before the last administration abolished them.”

The £15m funding announced by the Government last year included placing pupils on a mentoring programme, where they will be supported with attendance over a 12 to 20-week period.

At the time, the Education Secretary said: “Tackling the national epidemic of school absence is non-negotiable if we are to break down the barriers to opportunity so many young people face.

“For too long persistent absence has held back young people across the country and denied them the life chances that they deserve: this government is gripping this generational challenge facing our schools.

“This significant new investment will help thousands of children back into the classroom and marks an important step towards truly turning the tide on persistent absence, helping us drive high and rising standards in every school.”