‘This is so wrong. 100% attendance is not really achievable.’

This week, the Children’s Commissioner for England announced: “As we approach a new school year, I want all teachers, parents, and children’s services to make attendance a priority. We can achieve 100% attendance, but only if we work together.”

Dame Rachel de Souza, whose appointment as commissioner in 2020 was controversial because of her close links to the Tory party having been appointed a dame in the 2014 New Year honours list for services to education, penned a blog. In it, she spoke about attendance being ‘everyone’s business and how she has set an “ambitious target for 100% attendance at school because I want to make sure that no child gets left behind.”

When the Children’s Commissioner posted the blog on X – formerly Twitter – it sparked a wave of criticism and debate.

Among the comments in objection to the policy were:

“It is a ridiculous, ableist target. Ill children can’t learn. Many children have chronic illnesses, not least long Covid. Mitigate harm, authorise genuine illnesses and don’t chase the 100% attendance unicorn.”

“This is so wrong. 100% attendance is not really achievable; neither for students nor teaching and support staff. It may be the opposite of well-being, it is ableist & the targets frequently waste staff time in attendance meetings.”

“100% attendance is a literal impossibility unless you juice the figures or drag children to school. The reasons why some children struggle are not indolence or laziness. It is ludicrous that the Children’s Commissioner for England is striking this pose.”

Here are five reasons why a ‘100% attendance’ policy is deemed as unfair and ineffective.

Attendance awards are unfair

Under pressure to improve attendance rates, it is common for schools to reward children who achieve ‘100% attendance.’

Pupils who are fortunate enough not to get ill during term-time are therefore rewarded, and those less fortunate are not, through no fault of their own.

The same can be said for children who have had a family bereavement, have mental health issues, or whose parents struggle with issues that makes it challenging for them to get their children to school every day.

Research shows attendance awards are counterproductive

Studies show and experts warn that encouraging and rewarding full attendance is counterproductive. One study by Harvard Kennedy School found that students who received a 100% attendance certificate for a month, were more likely to be absent the following month. Several factors have been attributed to presence rewards encouraging time off, including students believing that a high attendance rate is something rare and special, rather than the norm, and thereby believing they had earned a day off. The policy could also hinder a child’s ‘respect’ among peers, and therefore meaning they take days off to earn their ‘cool’ status again.

Illness is spread

Under pressure to attend school each day, children are more likely to go to school even if they are sick, making it more likely for bugs and viruses to be spread to teaching staff, and other children, which could then be passed on to siblings and parents.

Sends out the wrong message

By rewarding children for not being off school, the 100% attendance policy effectively sends out a toxic message that healthy is strong and sickness is weak and should be avoided.

Puts additional pressure on school children

With exams, peer pressure, achievement gradings, and more, children are under immense pressure already during their school lives. The 100% attendance policy only adds to such pressure, and for children who find pressure difficult, the effects could be detrimental, making them more likely to miss lessons in the long-term.

Faith Newton, an occupational therapist is urging for attendance awards to be stopped. Instead, Newton is advocating for schools to build relationships of trust with students. She says:

“Ensure that students are warmly welcomed to school. Instead of being met with criticisms about uniform or lateness, focus on the positive that the child is present. There are too many stories of children who struggle to attend school due to their mental health being put in detention on their first day back for a minor infringement – being 5 minutes late or wearing the wrong shoes.”

The occupationalal therapist also believes schools should strive to understand the underlying reasons for absence, be more inclusive, invest in mental health, and reduce the sensory demands, so children don’t experience overwhelm and need a day off to recover.

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward

Comments are closed.