A school in North London has replaced truancy penalties for parents with educational awareness programs.
Gareth Morris, headteacher at Netley Primary School in Camden, chose to implement an innovative strategy to address the issue of students frequently skipping classes. His method has garnered positive feedback for its effectiveness.
Taking inspiration from speed awareness programs designed to educate drivers about the dangers of speeding, this compassionate initiative requires parents at risk of receiving a fixed penalty notice to participate in four sessions aimed at raising awareness about the consequences of chronic absenteeism.
According to the school, attendance has “dramatically” improved for around 80% of the families who have engaged in the program so far.
“The feedback we’ve received from parents has been overwhelmingly positive, especially regarding the anxiety experienced by their children due to missing school,” shared Mr. Morris.
He pointed out that if attendance does not improve, parents would still face a fixed penalty notice; however, when progress is made, the school continues to provide additional support while monitoring the situation.
Mr. Morris also acknowledged the crucial contributions of the school’s full-time support worker, Simone Sarosh-Cambridge. Her role involves tracking attendance and offering support to children who have been identified as frequently absent, as well as directly helping to boost their confidence.
Ms. Sarosh-Cambridge’s position is primarily funded by the Richard Reeves Foundation. Camden Council noted that several schools in the borough are creating similar support roles through charitable funding or existing budgets, though not all schools can afford such expenses.
In a report released on November 10, Camden Council praised the leadership at Netley for addressing issues related to school attendance.
The persistent absence rate in Camden surpasses both the inner London and national averages, with over 20% of students missing more than 10% of their lessons.
A council report in February placed Camden 29th out of 32 in terms of primary school absences and 30th for secondary schools.
Stephen Hall, CEO of Camden Learning, informed the council’s Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee on Monday that progress is being made in decreasing the attendance gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students.
Nonetheless, he noted a “disproportionate” number of disadvantaged children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities, are still missing too many lessons.
Addressing the root causes of this issue, Mr. Hall mentioned that Camden has the highest sickness absence rate among all inner London boroughs, but he also pointed out the problem of unauthorized holidays taken during term time.
Mr. Morris concurred, stating that a shift in cultural attitudes and the decreased cost of airfare since the pandemic have led many families to request term-time vacations.
“If we eliminate holidays during school sessions, our rate of persistent absence would see a significant reduction,” he remarked. “However, a £120 fixed penalty notice is not a strong enough deterrent, considering families can save thousands by traveling during school terms.
“We need to engage in a broader discussion about fundamentally altering how school terms are structured.”
