Commenting as the government’s official school attendance data shows
a third week of improved attendance rates for staff and students,
Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of school leaders’ union
NAHT, said:
“It is good to see that staff and pupil absence continues to
fall, nationally. However, we know that headline figures can hide
big variations locally, and there are some schools and many
families and pupils that are still experiencing disruption.
“Attendance is still below where it would usually be for this
time of year pre-pandemic. This should remind us that we are not
out of the woods yet. Whilst everyone hopes that mass school
closures are a thing of the past, we must accept that disruption
for some may continue in the future, and our responsibility is to
ensure no pupil is disadvantaged by it.
“It has been a very difficult winter for schools – and for pupils
– and the disruption to teaching and learning over the last three
academic years needs to be recognised. While the government has
put a package of adaptations in place for exams, these may not be
enough to support some students who have suffered more disruption
than most. And there is no such acknowledgement of the disruption
to learning pupils have faced in primary schools – the government
plans for SATs to go ahead as though it is a normal year, when
this year has been anything but normal.”
