Sally Weale provides an excellent summary of reasons for the alarming decline in school attendance (From Covid to poverty: why pupil absence in England is rising, 28 June). However, there is also an underlying and chronic reason for this: throughout this century, but especially since 2010, school has become an increasingly uncongenial experience for children. In one recent survey, 39% of 11- to 14-year-olds said that they disliked school, a figure that rose to 52% for 15- and 16-year-olds.
The reasons why it has become an unsatisfactory experience are not hard to discern: lack of resources; an inappropriate curriculum, the teaching of which is almost entirely geared to external examinations; the disappearance of practical and creative activities; an increase in bullying and feelings of inadequacy promoted by social media platforms; overworked and exhausted teachers who have no time to deal with these problems or even recognise, let alone attend to, the needs of individual children, and who increasingly leave the profession at the first opportunity.
The pandemic may have brought the issue of declining school attendance into focus, but the seeds of this mess were sown long ago by ignorant politicians.
Michael Pyke
The Campaign for State Education
Your article rightly draws attention to the dangers of the decreasing importance of arts and culture in the school curriculum (Labour accuses UK government of ‘stifling children’s creativity’, 25 June). The current government’s policy of emphasising science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem subjects) threatens the future of the creative and cultural sectors in the economy and could be counterproductive in its impact on academic achievements in schools.
Several organisations researched this topic in the 1990s and concluded that the availability of art, drama and music in a school actually appears to contribute to better performance in the basic academic subjects.
Pupils enjoy school more when they can take part in plays and musical activities.
Pupils who actually enjoy going to school tend to do better in their basic subjects. Being battered hour after hour by Stem subjects does not necessarily improve performance in those subjects.
Peter Downes
Former president, Association of School and College Leaders
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