Sir Kevan Collins backs Labour’s long-term plan to tackle school absence

Sir Kevan Collins, the Government’s former Education Recovery Commissioner, has today backed Labour’s plans to tackle persistent absence and drive high and rising standards in England’s schools. 

Introducing Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson at a speech to the Centre for Social Justice on Labour’s vision for schools, Sir Kevan expressed his support for plans drawn up to meet the generational challenge of persistent absence, which has grown to historic levels under the Conservatives.

Phillipson unveiled Labour’s long-term plan as she outlined her vision for driving high and rising standards, pledging to put education back at the forefront of national life, after more than a decade of decline under the Tories.

Sir Kevan Collins, introducing Bridget Phillipson’s speech on Labour’s vision for schools at the Centre for Social Justice, said:

“COVID revealed the best and worst of our system: teachers performed heroically as they turned on a sixpence to deliver online learning, parents leant in to support their children’s learning as never before and our children displayed resilience and determination to continue their studies.

“However, too many of our children are still living with the impact of the disruption. The failure to re-engage and return to established norms is seen in the collapse in school attendance. For too many children the habit and convention of going to school every day has been broken.

“Tackling the crisis of persistent absence must therefore be a priority and the national response must measure up to the scale of the local challenge. It demands a shared endeavour.

“Education standards should always take top priority. I’m excited by Bridget’s ambition for our education system and her determination to raise standards and improve outcomes for all our children.”