The majority of parents in England believe that children should not go to school every day
According to a new survey by the British consulting company Public First, parents no longer feel that their children have to go to school every day. The company states that during the pandemic there has been a seismic shift in parents' attitudes towards regular attendance.
In England, more and more children are absent from school. For example, in the spring months of this year, during one school day, about 24.700 children were not in the lectures. Before the pandemic, most parents believed that going to school every day was a basic element of good parenting.
"After covid, parents don't think that way anymore. "Instead, they see attending school as one of the options, in terms of a more holistic approach to everyday life," the report added, as reported Sky News.
A significant number of parents take their children on vacation during the school year, and such "excursions" are considered socially acceptable. In June and July this year, researchers spoke to eight focus groups from different locations in England with parents of school-aged children.
"Before the pandemic, I was focused on enrolling my children in school. Going to class was a big deal. Education was the main thing. After covid, to be honest, it doesn't matter so much to me if the children are in school every day, life is too short", says the mother of two primary school children from Manchester.
The 15-year-old's mother, from Bristol, said they usually went skiing during the school holidays in February but were now considering going in January when the arrangements were cheaper.
More than a fifth (22,3%) of pupils in England were 'willfully absent' in the 2022/2023 school year, meaning they missed at least 10% of school lessons.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said parental absenteeism had become a major problem.
"After the pandemic, some parents no longer believe that regular attendance is essential. "They don't seem to see how skipping school can jeopardize their child's educational outcomes," Burton added.
