One in 10 students have missed school in the last six months because they feel “unsafe”, with only a quarter of these children and young people seeking help from staff.
A research report (Jackson et al, 2023) analyses survey responses from around 70,000 pupils in years 3 to 13 in schools in England.
It finds that during the past six months, 75% of pupils have felt “very” or “quite” safe in school.
However, 5% of pupils in years 3 to 13 said they have felt “not very safe” at some point in the last six months, while 3% said they had felt “not at all safe”.
When broken down, feeling unsafe is more of an issue at secondary level. Figures rise notably when pupils reach year 8, peaking at 13% of pupils feeling “not very safe” or “not at all safe” in year 11.
