A quarter of secondary school children in Bracknell are missing lessons on a regular basis, a report reveals.
Bracknell Forest Council is looking to reduce school absence and lateness amidst a nationwide persistent absenteeism crisis.
The rate of children with attendance below 90 per cent, the measure for persistent absence, is similar to proportions across the southeast and nationally.
Now, Bracknell Forest Council has published a draft school absence strategy to tackle the number of children missing school on a regular basis.
Data revealed in the report indicates that 18.4 per cent of students are persistently absent, of which just under two per cent is unauthorised.
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Measures suggested include holding multi-agency meetings with schools where children have very low attendance, as well as using attendance data to identify them early on.
The authority also says it will take forward legal interventions when needed.
The number of fines issued to parents as well as parents taken to court by the council has risen significantly since the pandemic.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last month that the number of school absence fines issued to parents has more than doubled between 2019-2020 and 2023-2024.
Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows Bracknell Forest Council issued a total of 1,200 school absence fines between 2023-24 alone.
The number of parents taken to court over school absences has also jumped from seven in 2019-2020 to 53 in 2023-24.
Bracknell Forest Council also says it will ‘work in partnership with our schools to ensure we are providing support for our economic disadvantaged cohort to recognise and overcome barriers to attendance’.
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This includes understanding transport issues and supporting children who come to school hungry, or cold.
The council’s Youth Hub at Braccan Walk will be used ‘as a welcoming, child-friendly venue to deliver tuition to children with SEND’.
Since August, schools across England must share their attendance data with the Department for Education to help identify possible trends.
The report says: “School is not just about academic success and attainment. It is also centred on learning about the world, about relationships and about individuals.
“To miss school is to miss the multifaceted experiences tat shape the choices we make, the opportunities we have and the quality of life that we lead.”
The attendance strategy will be debated and voted on by Bracknell Forest Council’s cabinet on Tuesday, November 12.
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