Latest news with #PaulWhiteman
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Number of children in England missing school for prolonged periods has risen
It is the highest rate for an autumn term since current data began in 2016/17. Overall, 147,605 pupils were classed as severely absent, which means they missed at least 50% of possible school sessions, in the autumn term of 2024/25, compared to 142,487 in the autumn term of 2023/24. In the autumn of 2019, the term before the pandemic, only 0.86% of pupils (60,244) were severely absent. The data also suggests 17.79% of pupils in England, about 1.28 million young people, were 'persistently absent', missing at least 10% of school sessions, in the autumn term of 2024/25. This is down on the same period in 2023/24 when 19.44% of pupils were persistently absent, but it is still higher than the pre-pandemic autumn of 2019 (13.14%). The former Conservative government announced plans to increase fines for parents who take their children out of class without permission, in February last year, as part of a drive to boost attendance since the pandemic. In September, school absence fines in England rose from £60 to £80, and a parent who receives a second fine for the same child within a three-year period will now receive a £160 fine. The latest figures show the overall unauthorised holiday rate in autumn 2024 was 0.47%, broadly unchanged from 2023 despite the increased fines, though the exact data indicates a very slight fall from 0.474% to 0.466%. An analysis by the PA news agency found the unauthorised holiday rates in the autumn were down in most regions across England compared to the same period last year, apart from the North West, East and South East, where they reached a record high at 0.59%, 0.39% and 0.38% respectively. Separate figures released by the DfE on Thursday showed that more than one in nine (11.6%) pupils in England were absent on the last day of this academic year (July 18), with 6.3% on unauthorised absence. These were the highest figures for any day in the entire 2024/25 school year, but they are lower than the equivalent figures for the last day of the 2023/24 school year (12.7% and 7.0% respectively), PA analysis shows. Overall, the pupil absence rate across the 2024/25 academic year was 6.9%, down from 7.2% last year. Margaret Mulholland, Send and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'It is troubling that, even as absence rates are coming down overall, the percentage of pupils missing at least 50% of their education is rising. 'We need to focus on helping these pupils overcome the barriers preventing them from being in school on a regular basis. 'This means investing in attendance services, liaising directly with families to identify the issues at play and then ensuring specialist support is available as soon as required. 'We've got to do more to ensure these pupils receive a complete education and all the benefits this brings.' Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'Overall, these figures are another small step in the right direction. 'It is clear however that there is still a long way to go to improve pupil attendance and that significant barriers remain for some children who missed a majority of their school sessions during the autumn term. 'Schools work tirelessly to ensure children are in the classroom, but they alone are not equipped to address all the deep-seated reasons for absence which can range from routine sickness to mental ill-health and social challenges facing children and families, including poverty. 'Fining parents is a crude tool which does not address many of the root causes, what is needed is better support for families and schools.' Beth Prescott, education lead at the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), said: 'Five years on from school closures, classroom absences can no longer be viewed as a post-pandemic blip. 'The material risk now is that this issue is becoming deeply entrenched.' She added: 'Ministers must now build on the progress they have made and work with local charities and families to provide more absent pupils with the mentorship they need to return to school. 'But with the crisis deepening we need to attack the root causes of school absence, including softening parental attitudes to attendance and an education system that fails to engage thousands of young people.' Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'The record improvement in school attendance shows we are turning the tide on a crisis that saw a generation go missing from England's schools. 'Getting children back in classrooms, where they belong, is non-negotiable if we are to break the unfair link between background and success so we can build a fairer country, a cornerstone of our plan for change. 'When we tackle attendance head-on, everyone benefits – pupils get the consistent education they deserve, teachers can focus on driving up standards, and we build the stronger workforce our economy needs.'
Daily Mirror
17-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Number of kids registered for free childcare soars - as more parents to benefit
Some 457,000 children aged nine months to two years were registered for a childcare place thanks to the expansion of 15 hours free childcare in September last year Around half a million more children under five were registered for a funded childcare place in the last year compared to the 12 months before. A record 1.7 million children under five were registered – a 33% increase - following a major expansion of free provision. Some 457,000 children aged nine months to two years registered for a place thanks to the expansion of 15 hours free childcare in September. Previously only three and four-year-olds were eligible. Data also shows 18,200 more staff members were delivering free childcare this January, compared to the same time this year. The total rose to 272,500 after a 7.2% increase - the largest annual rise since the data series began. From September, all eligible families with children aged nine months to three years will be able to access 30 hours a week. These hours can be used over 38 weeks of the year during school term time, or up to 52 weeks if fewer hours are used each week. Parents who want to get 30 hours from this September must apply by August 31. A couple's combined annual salary must be less than £100,000 for them to be eligible. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'It is extremely positive that more families now have the choice of accessing funded early education and childcare and are benefitting from this.' But he added: "We know from a school and provider perspective, funding levels remain incredibly tight, and we urge government to keep this under constant review. When it comes to early education, quality matters." The National Education Union (NEU) urged for more support to be given to Maintained Nursery Schools, which it said provide high quality early education especially for disadvantaged families and children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND). Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said: "Given that high quality early education and care is essential to improving children's life chances, it is not a surprise that demand for funded hours are now at record levels since entitlements were expanded. "The government should be building up high quality public provision with Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS) front and centre. MNS provide the highest quality of early education, especially for disadvantaged families and children with SEND. Funding pressures make their future uncertain. The government must act now to protect and expand MNS and consider how they can support the delivery of funded hours." Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'It is brilliant to see our reforms to early education delivering for so many families, with tens of thousands more funded places and staff compared with stagnating numbers just last year, and more parents than ever accessing government funded childcare. 'We are setting up even more parents to benefit from September's expansion to 30 funded hours, saving them up to £7,500 per year, alongside our investment in free breakfast clubs and school based nurseries to give parents more choice and slash costs.'
The Independent
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Pupil numbers in schools expected to drop by nearly 400,000 over five years
The number of pupils in state schools in England is expected to decline by nearly 400,000 by 2030 amid falling birth rates, Government figures suggest. The population attending primary and nursery schools is expected to drop at a 'faster rate' than previously projected over the next five years, according to the Department for Education (DfE). It comes as primary schools in parts of England, including London, have been considering closing due to falling pupil numbers and funding pressures. The latest DfE projections, published on Thursday, suggest that 4,205,117 pupils will be in state nursery and primary schools by 2030 – a fall of 300,000 from the population in 2025. Meanwhile, 3,135,086 pupils are projected to be in state secondary schools in 2030 – which is 97,000 lower than the actual school population in 2025. A population bulge in England has been moving into secondary schools, but the DfE said it now expects these pupil numbers to peak in 2026/2027. Last month, a former education secretary called for school funding to no longer be judged on a per-pupil basis because of falling pupil numbers. Conservative MP Damian Hinds said the decline in the number of children in schools meant funding being measured on a per-pupil basis was no longer a good reflection of whether funding is increasing or decreasing. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'Falling rolls can create a real headache for schools already struggling amid severe financial pressures because the majority of funding is calculated on a per-pupil basis. 'It will be vital that the Department for Education protects schools that are particularly affected by this as it has a disproportionate impact on budgets, particularly for small schools. 'There are always significant variations between different parts of the country, individual schools and even year groups and other recent data forecast the number of school places planned for 2026/27 will need to double to meet demand. 'Trends can also change over time. Rather than reducing funding, we would urge the Government to continue to invest in schools, allowing them to maintain existing staffing levels. 'This would help reduce the unsustainable levels of workload which are fuelling a recruitment and retention crisis, also enabling some schools to offer smaller classes and more targeted help for pupils who need it.' Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: 'The forecast that there will be almost 400,000 fewer pupils in schools by 2030 will understandably cause concern among parents and educators about implications for their schools. 'However, it is not a given that falling pupil numbers means widespread school closures.' He added: 'Using falling rolls to reduce class sizes would improve schools for pupils and staff, helping reduce workload and improve teacher retention, allowing more contact time with each pupil to improve educational outcomes and allowing for greater integration of pupils with Send into mainstream classrooms. 'Schools with 30 pupils per class cost the same amount to run as schools with fewer per class, but the current funding model allocates money to schools on a per-pupil basis, leaving those with smaller classes out of pocket. 'To take advantage of the slowing birthrate and improved outcomes, the Government must protect schools with falling rolls from funding shortfalls and avoid schools in this situation making cuts that harm educational provision.'
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pupil numbers in schools expected to drop by nearly 400,000 over five years
The number of pupils in state schools in England is expected to decline by nearly 400,000 by 2030 amid falling birth rates, Government figures suggest. The population attending primary and nursery schools is expected to drop at a 'faster rate' than previously projected over the next five years, according to the Department for Education (DfE). It comes as primary schools in parts of England, including London, have been considering closing due to falling pupil numbers and funding pressures. The latest DfE projections, published on Thursday, suggest that 4,205,117 pupils will be in state nursery and primary schools by 2030 – a fall of 300,000 from the population in 2025. Meanwhile, 3,135,086 pupils are projected to be in state secondary schools in 2030 – which is 97,000 lower than the actual school population in 2025. A population bulge in England has been moving into secondary schools, but the DfE said it now expects these pupil numbers to peak in 2026/2027. Last month, a former education secretary called for school funding to no longer be judged on a per-pupil basis because of falling pupil numbers. Conservative MP Damian Hinds said the decline in the number of children in schools meant funding being measured on a per-pupil basis was no longer a good reflection of whether funding is increasing or decreasing. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'Falling rolls can create a real headache for schools already struggling amid severe financial pressures because the majority of funding is calculated on a per-pupil basis. 'It will be vital that the Department for Education protects schools that are particularly affected by this as it has a disproportionate impact on budgets, particularly for small schools. 'There are always significant variations between different parts of the country, individual schools and even year groups and other recent data forecast the number of school places planned for 2026/27 will need to double to meet demand. 'Trends can also change over time. Rather than reducing funding, we would urge the Government to continue to invest in schools, allowing them to maintain existing staffing levels. 'This would help reduce the unsustainable levels of workload which are fuelling a recruitment and retention crisis, also enabling some schools to offer smaller classes and more targeted help for pupils who need it.' Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: 'The forecast that there will be almost 400,000 fewer pupils in schools by 2030 will understandably cause concern among parents and educators about implications for their schools. 'However, it is not a given that falling pupil numbers means widespread school closures.' He added: 'Using falling rolls to reduce class sizes would improve schools for pupils and staff, helping reduce workload and improve teacher retention, allowing more contact time with each pupil to improve educational outcomes and allowing for greater integration of pupils with Send into mainstream classrooms. 'Schools with 30 pupils per class cost the same amount to run as schools with fewer per class, but the current funding model allocates money to schools on a per-pupil basis, leaving those with smaller classes out of pocket. 'To take advantage of the slowing birthrate and improved outcomes, the Government must protect schools with falling rolls from funding shortfalls and avoid schools in this situation making cuts that harm educational provision.'
Glasgow Times
10-07-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
School suspensions and exclusions in England reach record high
There were 954,952 suspensions in the 2023/24 academic year, compared with 786,961 in 2022/23 – an increase of more than a fifth (21%) in a year. There were 10,885 permanent exclusions in 2023/24, compared with 9,376 the year before – a rise of 16%, according to the Department for Education (DfE) data. The rise comes amid warnings of challenging behaviour in classrooms following the Covid-19 pandemic. Suspensions – which are when a pupil is excluded from a school for a set period of time – in primary schools rose by nearly a quarter in a year. Figures released on Thursday show that suspensions for pupils in state primary schools rose by 24%, from 84,264 in 2022/23 to 104,803 in 2023/24. Meanwhile, suspensions for secondary school pupils rose by 21% in a year, from 685,930 to 829,896. Persistent disruptive behaviour was the most common reason for sanctions, accounting for 51% of all reasons given for suspension and 39% for exclusion. Suspensions and exclusions peaked in the 2023/24 autumn term, where there were 346,279 suspensions and 4,168 permanent exclusions in a single term. The number of suspensions and exclusions in England is the highest since at least 2016/17, when the latest DfE data begins. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'Schools have a duty to provide a safe environment for all pupils and only use suspensions and exclusions when other options to ensure this have been exhausted. 'The reasons for disruptive behaviour often lie beyond the school gates and have their roots in wider challenges, including everything from poverty to access to support with special educational needs and mental ill-health. 'Schools work tirelessly to support pupils, but they alone cannot address the causes and symptoms of poor behaviour. 'They need back-up in the shape of additional investment in vital services like social care, children's mental health, behaviour support teams, and special educational needs provision, which have been reduced or failed to keep up with demand over the last decade.' Sophie Schmal, director of Chance UK charity, said: 'The latest figures released today reveal a shocking picture, particularly for some of our youngest and most vulnerable children. 'When you have children as young as five and six years old being permanently excluded from school, then clearly something is going very wrong. 'Every day, we see children and families being let down by a system that is failing to support them early enough.'
