School in Basildon is claimed to have worst attendance in England
A councillor says The Basildon Upper Academy has seen the highest rate of truancy of any state-run secondary school in the country
An Essex council leader is demanding action for improvements in education in his borough after a school in the town was named as having worst attendance rate in England.
Labour leader of Basildon Council, Gavin Callaghan, insists“We cannot afford to stand by while our young people are left behind”, after new data showed The Basildon Upper Academy has seen the highest rate of truancy of any state-run secondary school in the country and that it is up from 15.4 per cent a year earlier when it had the country’s third-highest truancy rate.
At the school, around one in six school sessions were missed due to unauthorised absences in the Autumn and Spring terms of 2023/24. Mr Callaghan has written to Essex County Council calling for collaborative work to tackle the issue and is also offering to support a range of measures such as mentorship and mental health services and after school extracurricular activities in a bid to get young people back into the classes.
The county council insists the way absences are recorded and absence policies vary between different academy trusts and that this has an impact on whole school figures.
In the letter Gavin Callaghan said: “We cannot afford to stand by while our young people are left behind and I am deeply concerned by the radio silence that has followed the news. I write today to seek assurance there is a specific improvement plan in place but also pledge my council’s support and energy in improving that story including educational attainment in Basildon in general.
"I propose a task force, comprised of key stakeholders including representatives from your academies, county education officials, local businesses, community organisations, parents and most importantly the students themselves. The goal of this task force will be to design and implement a comprehensive programme that addresses the root causes of truancy and builds pathways to higher achievement.”
In the letter, Mr Callaghan also says Basildon Council is open to considering supporting community outreach, economic support programmes, mentorship and mental health services and after school extracurricular activities.
Tory Cabinet member for education excellence, lifelong learning and employability at Essex County Council, Tony Ball, said: “Individual Trusts and schools set their own absence policies, and how absences are recorded can have an impact on whole school figures. In this case, the school currently has a policy where an ‘unauthorised absence’ refers to any absence for any reason which has not been formally evidenced by parents. This is not the same as truancy. This policy is not the same for all Trusts.
“School is not optional. Every child has the right to access quality education and parents have a legal duty to ensure regular attendance. We take pupil attendance very seriously, and improving it is a key priority for all schools across Essex. Our attendance specialist team advises schools to encourage early engagement with families. The team are already working closely with Basildon Upper Academy and Lower Academy, having met on two separate occasions this half term.
“While we agree with Basildon Council that school attendance has never been more crucial, they have no direct responsibility or involvement in this area, and are therefore not fully informed on the work already being done in schools or behind the scenes. However, we are more than happy to talk to Basildon about our work with the trust’”