A headteacher has made an impassioned plea to the Welsh Government to re-introduce fines for children not attending schoo l . Huw Powell, headteacher of Mary Immaculate High in Cardiff said some children have not returned to the classroom since schools shut in March 2020.
There is also a larger group of pupils who miss days regularly. Some pupils now consider school “optional” and will struggle to catch up, he warned: “My personal view is that fines for non-attendance should come back."
Other heads and school governors have also warned absence is now one of the main problems facing schools. You can read what they said more about that here
“Youngsters are missing out. We have some youngsters who have been away since Covid first occurred. It does not matter what we have done to try to bring them back, we have done literally everything we can and there’s nothing more we can do in the circumstances.
“Some youngsters are at the point of being de-schooled. They are that far behind they will struggle to catch up. The impact is huge.
“There is also a much bigger group taking days off here and there for whom school has become optional.”
Mr Powell was speaking as Welsh Government data shows 15% of pupils in Wales are now missing school on average, far above pre-pandemic levels. If attendance falls below 95% key educational milestones are missed, he said.
Although it is still a legal obligation for parents and carers to send their children to school fines for not doing so were halted at the start of the pandemic. And without fines as a penalty other measures of persuasion are not enough to bring those persistently absent, with no good reason, back, Mr Powell warned.
Other heads have previously called for fines to be re-imposed but the Association of School and College Leaders has said it does not support penalising parents. But Martin Hulland, headteacher of Cardiff West Community High echoed Mr Powell’s concerns and said absence was now “the number one issue" nationally for schools.
Describing what has now become a stubborn and persistent problem Mr Powell said his own school’s absence levels mirrored those nationally - with more than one in 10 missing lessons on average.
“It is a legal obligation for children to go to school, but school has become optional for some. The law and fines were there for a reason so that young people can be educated successfully and well.
“We need to re-set the system. There’s a good reason children need to go to school. I am worried some will not come back without fines.
“Most evidence shows that is attendance is less than 95% you will not achieve some key measures. We are in line with the national average for attendance and that is not good enough.”
He stressed that when pupils were genuinely ill they did need to be off school, but said schools are facing an uphill struggle bringing back pupils who are not ill but have got out of the habit of coming to classes regularly or at all.
Latest Welsh Government school absence figures, published earlier this month, show at the end of the Easter term worrying numbers of children were till missing school, especially in key exam years.
School attendance in Wales has continued to fall again, despite a drop in Covid cases. With exams just weeks away around three in 10 year 13 A level pupils and around two in 10 year 11 GCSE pupils are absent. Nearly 15% of pupils failed to turn up to school in the week of April 4-8. in a pattern seen throughout the start of this academic year.
Responding to the calls for fines to be resumed the Welsh Government said it had no plans to do so. A spokesperson said: “Our position has not changed. No decision has been made about changes to attendance policy.
“Local authorities retain the legal powers to consider enforcement as a last resort, where all other attempts to engage have been exhausted.”
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