Parents don’t believe children must be in school every day anymore – report
Parents don’t believe their children must go to school every day anymore, according to a new report – and it would take a “monumental” effort to change their minds.
Since the COVID pandemic, there has been a “seismic shift” in attitudes to full-time school attendance, according to a study by consultancy Public First.
While the factors behind the absences vary between the cost of living crisis and a rise in mental health problems among young people, the study does not link them to parents working from home.
The research – which highlights findings from focus groups with parents – comes as concerns continue to grow around the rise in children missing school in England.
In June, Sky News saw figures suggesting thousands of children have vanished from school, with authorities having no idea where they are.
On a single day in spring this year, local authorities in England reported an estimated 24,700 children as missing education.
Term time holidays now ‘socially acceptable’
The Public First report said a child’s daily attendance at school was viewed as “a fundamental element of good parenting” before COVID.
“Post-COVID, parents no longer felt that to be the case, and instead view attending school as one of several – often competing – options or demands on their child on a daily basis, against a backdrop of a more holistic approach to daily life,” the report adds.
A significant proportion of parents are taking children on holiday during term time and these breaks are seen as “socially acceptable”.
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Researchers spoke with eight focus groups comprised of parents of school-aged children across eight different locations in England in June and July this year.
A mother of two primary-school-aged children from Manchester said: “Pre-COVID, I was very much about getting the kids into school, you know, attendance was a big thing. Education was a major thing.
“After COVID, I’m not [going to] lie to you, my take on attendance and absence now is like I don’t really care anymore. Life’s too short.”
Meanwhile, one mother of a 15-year-old from Bristol said they used to go skiing in February half-term – but now she wonders why she didn’t just opt for a cheaper week in January.
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Why are children missing school?
‘Persistently absent’
More than a fifth (22.3%) of pupils in England were “persistently absent” in the 2022/23 academic year, meaning they missed at least 10% of their school sessions.
That’s according to government figures, which show a significant increase from the pre-pandemic rate of 10.9% in 2018/19.
The report calls for fines for school absences to be “potentially abolished” as it suggests they are failing to change parent behaviour and “undermine” relationships between schools and parents.
Further investment in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) “will significantly improve attendance”, the report also argues.
Earlier this month, health leaders such as England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said school attendance can help alleviate issues linked to anxiety among young people.
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‘Schools can’t tackle crisis alone’
Jaine Stannard, chief executive of School-Home Support, said: “These findings are a snapshot, but they give a flavour of frustration and despondency with a system which is underfunded and lacks nuance.
“Schools are at the sharp end, and it’s unfair that they are taking the hit for the ills of the system. Schools can’t tackle the school attendance crisis alone.”
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said pupil absence is a “big problem”.
“We’d stress that this is a minority of parents. Most people do get the importance of education and understand that it isn’t possible for a child to learn if they are not actually there in the classroom,” he added.
“For some parents, the pandemic has eroded the sense that good attendance is essential and they don’t seem to see that absence will damage their child’s educational outcomes.”
Three brothers have been jailed after underage girls in Leeds and Barrow-in-Furness were sexually abused and raped over a number of years.
The trio were convicted in October last year, with the abuse taking place between 1996 and 2010.
Shaha Amran Miah, 49, known as Jai; Shaha Alman Miah, 47, known as Ali; and Shah Joman Miah, 38, known as Sarj all pleaded not guilty.
Sarj has since admitted his crimes. However, the judge said it could be a cynical attempt for leniency and did not give him any credit.
Shaha Amran Miah, Shaha Joman Miah and Shaha Alman Miah. Pic: Cumbria Police
They were sentenced on Friday to the following:
Shaha Amran Miah – life with a minimum term of 20 years and 338 days.
Shaha Alman Miah – 10 years in prison and four years on licence.
Shah Joman Miah – life with a minimum term of 21 years and 232 days.
Preston Crown Court heard Sarj and Jai regularly sexually abused two children at a Leeds mosque over many years, beginning when the victims were seven.
The three also preyed on vulnerable and underage girls at a flat above their family’s takeaway in Barrow, Cumbria, between 2008 and 2010.
They gave them cigarettes, alcohol, food and even hair extensions in what barrister Tim Evans KC called a “classic grooming technique”.
He said the brothers worked as a team and “created an environment in Barrow in which each of them could abuse young girls”.
Judge Unsworth KC said they had shattered the lives of their victims and hid in plain sight in the Cumbria town.
Multiple schoolgirls in their uniforms were regularly seen at the takeaway, the judge said, with Jai acting ruthlessly to stop them going to the police.
The court heard Sarj would take one of the girls to a hotel for sex about twice a month and became increasingly controlling – to the point she remains on medication and is terrified of seeing him in the street.
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A witness told Sky News the men abused their victims in a dingy room above the takeaway that “looked like a crackhouse” and had mattresses on the floor and sheets covering the windows.
“They knew exactly how young they were,” she said. “They didn’t only have one girlfriend each… they had multiple.”
Shaha Amran Miah was found guilty of 16 sexual offences against three girls, including rape, as well as two charges of intimidation and one of kidnap.
Shaha Alman Miah was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child.
Shah Joman Miah was convicted of sexually abusing three children. There were nine counts of rape of a child among his 40 offences.
Apple will no longer offer customers in the UK its most advanced, end-to-end security encryption feature for cloud data – following a security row with the government.
The Advanced Data Protection (ADP) tool is an optional feature which means only account holders can see things like photos or documents that they have stored online. Apple itself does not have access to the data.
However, the UK government reportedly requested the right to see the data earlier this month.
In response, Apple has removed the tool from use in the UK.
The company is switching it off as an option for those not already using it, and will introduce a process to move existing users away from it.
Security officials argue that encryption hinders criminal investigations, while tech firms defend it as essential to user privacy.
The loss of end-to-end encryption for iCloud backup means Apple would be able in some instances to read user data such as iMessages that would otherwise be protected and pass it on to authorities if legally compelled.
However, if a user has end-to-end encryption, Apple cannot read the data under any circumstances.
An Apple store in New York. Pic: iStock
What has Apple said?
“We are gravely disappointed that the protections provided by ADP will not be available to our customers in the UK given the continuing rise of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy,” Apple said in a statement.
“Enhancing the security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever before.
“Apple remains committed to offering our users the highest level of security for their personal data and are hopeful that we will be able to do so in the future in the United Kingdom.”
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Apple customers who already had the data protection tool turned on “will eventually need to disable this security feature”, said the company.
It is already unavailable for customers who weren’t using the feature, who now see a message reading: “Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection (ADP) in the United Kingdom to new users.”
What has the UK government said?
The government said it will not confirm or deny whether it requested a Technical Capability Notice (TCN), which is what would give it the right to see the encrypted data.
“We do not comment on operational matters, including for example confirming or denying the existence of any such notices,” a Home Office spokesperson told Sky News.
According to a Home Office source, however, even if a TCN was issued, it wouldn’t give the government blanket access to people’s data.
Separate authorisations or warrants would still be required.
What’s the reaction from the tech industry?
Many in the tech industry are shocked by Apple’s move, with Graeme Stewart from cybersecurity company Check Point saying it “is effectively smashing open Pandora’s box and hoping the chaos stays neatly inside”.
“At its heart, encryption isn’t just for criminals; it’s a shield for millions of law-abiding citizens, businesses, and critical infrastructure,” he said.
“Now we are prying open that door to our digital Fort Knox, there’s no telling what else might slip through.”
Apple was also described as “calling the government’s bluff” by Robert Peake who is the technology partner at Keystone Law, for refusing to create a backdoor into its protected data.
“The Government will face increasing pressure to back down on this, as it seriously undermines its recent attempts to portray the UK as a pro-innovation place to operate,” he said.
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