Increasingly strained relationships with families are affecting school attendance, with school leaders concerned about the number of parental disputes they are seeing.
Survey findings published by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) at its annual conference in Liverpool last week revealed some disturbing reasons for student absence.
One-third (32%) of the 8,411 teachers and school leaders responding to the research said that they have seen students missing school because of a dispute with their parents or carers. This figure rises to 48% among headteacher respondents to the survey.
The research asked what reasons parents/carers gave for student absence other than illness and found that term-time holidays is most common (87% rising to 95% among headteachers), ahead of family events (76% rising to 88%).
