Rising Absences and Flexible Schooling Raise Concerns in England
The increasing levels of school absences in England and the growing prevalence of flexible schooling models were highlighted as major concerns in Ofsted’s annual report. Chief Inspector of Ofsted, Sir Martyn Oliver, emphasized that post-pandemic education has become “fragile and fragmented,” describing persistent absences as a “stubborn and damaging issue.”
The report noted that approximately 158,000 students missed more than half of their lessons during the autumn and spring terms of the last academic year. In areas like Knowsley, over 25% of students were identified as persistently absent, with similarly high rates recorded in Blackpool, Bradford, and Sunderland.
Flexible schooling, adopted in some schools, was deemed by Ofsted as a “temporary solution” to help students transition back to full-time education. However, it warned that replacing full-time schooling with this model could hinder students from receiving a coherent and consistent education in the long term.
The government stated it is collaborating with Ofsted to enhance educational standards and is working on introducing new school reporting systems. The Department for Education emphasized its commitment to placing education “back at the forefront of national life.”
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