PA0113

Written evidence submitted by Child Poverty Action Group

About CPAG

Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) works on behalf of the more than one in four children in the UK growing up in poverty. It doesn’t have to be like this. We work to understand what causes poverty, the impact it has on children’s lives, and how it can be prevented and solved – for good. We provide training, advice and information to make sure hard-up families get the financial support they need. We also carry out high profile legal work to establish and protect families’ rights.

About this submission

This submission draws on CPAG’s Cost of the School Day project, a large-scale, three-year research project that has gathered evidence from over 1,700 parents and carers and 630 members of school staff, and held face-to-face interviews with over 10,000 school pupils in England and Wales.

We work with schools, pupils and families to identify and address the cost-related barriers faced by pupils from low-income families to full participation in all aspects of the school. We explore the lived experience of pupils and families and gather evidence on the barriers that children living on low incomes face which can contribute to absenteeism.

More information about the Cost of the School Day project is available here: www.cpag.org.uk/cost-of-the-school-day

Given CPAG’s areas of expertise, this submission focuses on barriers for school attendance for lower income parents, specifically, the cost barriers that families face and the effectiveness of school policies in helping pupils and families overcome those barriers.

Recommendations

• The DfE’s guidance on attendance should be informed by evidence-based strategies to tackle absenteeism amongst disadvantaged pupils.
• The DfE’s guidance on attendance should identify the barriers to attendance faced by disadvantaged pupils, such as the cost of uniform, the cost of participating in special school events and the cost of travel, and they should encourage schools to take steps to actively remove these barriers.
• The DfE should encourage all schools to consult families to identify the barriers to attendance within their own school community.
• The DfE should direct schools to halt the imposition of attendance fines. Our evidence suggests that they do not reduce absenteeism and may exacerbate hardship.
• The DfE should conduct research into the link between the provision of breakfast clubs and increased levels of school attendance.

Evidence

The factors causing persistent and severe absence among different groups of pupils, in particular, disadvantaged pupils

Our Cost of the School Day research found that school attendance and behaviour policies can create cost barriers for families which can impact the school attendance of children living on a lower income. School policies and practices around uniform, dressing up days, transport costs and punctuality policies can all create barriers to attendance.

Pupils, parents and school staff identified the following factors as creating potential cost barriers leading to absenteeism:

• Uniform: Non-attendance can be triggered if a pupil is unable to meet their school’s uniform policy. When a school’s uniform costs are high, parents may struggle to buy and replace school uniform for their children. Pupils from lower income families were more likely to report that there were occasions when they could not attend school because they only had one uniform which was in the wash or not dry. Commenting on the price of school uniform, one 14-year-old pupil told us, “You need it for every day and it costs a lot of money. There are some people who don’t go to school because of uniform. It ruins your education”. Another pupil, aged 15, told us, “You get in trouble for wearing the wrong colour hijab. This is why attendance and punctuality is so bad”.

• Dressing up days: Our evidence shows that in some schools attendance dips on non-uniform days and dressing up days. These events typically involve a financial cost and put social pressures on children. While these days intend to be a source of enjoyment, in some cases they harm the education of pupils through increased absences. Pupils told us, “Some people in class ask why you don’t have a Christmas jumper” (Pupil aged 9), another said “I would change all the non-uniform days, because people get asked if that’s the only clothes they have. It makes them feel upset and disappointed” (Pupil aged 10). Staff told us, “Children will take the day off on days where costumes need to be worn or other days when uniform isn’t required”. Monitoring of attendance at some schools on non-uniform days identified an increase in the number of pupils who did not attend school on these days.

• Transport: Children, young people and school staff told the Cost of the School Day project that transport costs can act as a barrier to getting to school in time for lessons. Pupils who struggled to arrive at school on time often lived further away or lived with different family members during the week. Transport costs can affect children and young people’s attendance. Staff spoke about phone calls from parents saying that they don’t have enough money to send their children to school and said that some children are late on days that social security benefits are paid, as they have to wait until bus fare money is available.

• Punctuality policies: Some schools impose sanctions on pupils for being late without giving due considering for the reason the pupil is late. One pupil told us, “You get a detention if you get here just after the bell or if you get in really late... It’s really unfair because you can’t help it if the bus doesn’t come.” Another pupil wanted schools to explore the reasons why a pupil arrives late, “If you’re late you get a red dot. If you’re on time you get a reward. If you get too many red dots you get sent to the Reception class. It’s not fair cos some people have personal problems – one girl stays at home to look after her mum cos she keeps getting sick.” (year 6 pupil)

Our research has gathered evidence on school strategies that can reduce absenteeism, as well as evidence on strategies that are less effective.

Effective school approaches to absenteeism:

• Some schools have a member of staff responsible for building relationships with families and developing an insight into their circumstances and the types of support that would be most helpful. Having a dedicated pastoral care role outside the teaching team is crucial for supporting children and families living in poverty and can facilitate a preventative, rather than a reactive, response to families’ challenges.

• Reducing the cost of uniform, ensuring access to low-cost, good quality second-hand uniform and ensuring the implementation of uniform policies is inclusive can remove barriers to attendance. A member of staff in a primary school with an inclusive uniform policy said, “No issue is made if a child comes in incorrectly dressed. Usually, an explanation is given by the parent. If the issue is ongoing, then help may be offered”.

• Our evidence shows that ensuring special events are no or low cost can improve attendance on those days. A member of staff explained how his school minimises absenteeism, "If we do have events that involve a cost, then some families will not send children to school on that day. We know from the past that where we have asked for families to buy things (such as pyjamas to wear in school) then it causes some families financial hardship to do that. Therefore, we no longer have events that have costs.”

School attendance strategies that do not work:

• Our evidence suggest that fines are not an effective way to reduce absenteeism and may be counterproductive since they add to the hardship of families living on low incomes. Fining does not address the barriers that families face and adds to the difficult financial circumstances that many families are currently facing. Alongside monitoring patterns in attendance, individual and bespoke approaches are needed to address the individual reasons why pupils are not attending school as regularly.  Families have told us that they are struggling more with school costs than previously – when families already face multiple hardships, fining is not an appropriate or compassionate response.

• Rewarding attendance can add to the anxiety and exclusion that children and young people face. Some headteachers have opted not to use attendance rewards, recognising that this can be due to illness or family circumstances. Commenting on attendance rewards, a headteacher told us, “The same children always get them, the ones with perfect attendance. It’s not an incentive for the others.” Practices around rewards should ensure that pupils are not stigmatised by other class members, as can happen with class awards for punctuality or attendance

The impact of the Department’s proposed reforms to improve attendance.

It is important that the proposed reforms reflect existing evidence regarding what works to tackle persistent absence. Our research shows that certain interventions, including fining parents, or rewarding attendance are problematic, whilst measures to address the root causes of absence such as school costs and uniform policies can be highly effective.

The impact of school breakfast clubs and free school meals on improving attendance for disadvantaged pupils.

There is a lack of literature on the impact of breakfast clubs on pupil attendance but our research suggests that breakfast clubs have a positive effect on attendance and learning.

• Parents told us that breakfast clubs play an important role in helping the morning to run smoothly and ensuring children get to school on time. A parent commented, “[With a breakfast club my] child is mentally ready for school and not using the first lesson to fully arise.”
• Schools we worked with also noted that the provision of a school breakfast club increased school attendance.

February 2023