The new school year is underway amid a raft of worrying trends. The Productivity Commission says more young people are missing school and fewer are finishing Year 12. The Grattan Institute says a third of our students struggle to read.
The long-term downward trend in student attendance is particularly concerning. Children now miss an average of four and a half weeks of school each year compared to three weeks in 2015.
The declines are occurring across the board, however, students from disadvantaged backgrounds are falling even further behind in attendance, with greater impacts on their educational and future outcomes.
Attendance is not a new problem, but the many contributing factors have only become more complex since the COVID pandemic. Higher rates of illness, poorer mental health and wellbeing, deepening academic challenges and shifting family attitudes are among the changes students are experiencing.
Research shows increased poverty and the cost-of-living crisis are also key factors affecting school attendance. Issues such as increased housing costs and rising food and petrol prices are making it harder for families on low incomes to get their children to school and ensure they have everything they need for school.
Sometimes these financial pressures have a direct impact on school attendance. With rents less affordable, families may need to move, which can lead to children changing schools or travelling longer distances to school. Coupled with unreliable or expensive transport, and greater difficulty accessing healthcare and other support services, getting students to school is an increasing challenge.
In other cases, the flow-on effects of financial stress can be more insidious. When families are finding it harder to get by, it can be incredibly challenging for parents to engage in their children’s schooling. Being preoccupied with finding a new home for the third time due to rising rents, or working multiple jobs, can take precedence over asking their children about their homework or what’s happening at school. Yet we know how critical this type of parental engagement is for a child’s education.
School attendance matters because it not only affects academic achievement but Year 12 completion. Alongside declining attendance, we are seeing greater numbers of young people leaving school early, with students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds much less likely to attain a Year 12 certificate compared to their more advantaged peers.
Yet nine out of 10 jobs that will be created in the next decade will require young people to finish school and undertake post-school qualifications at either TAFE or university, according to research from Melbourne’s Victoria University.
As a nation, we must do more to improve our understanding of the different and sometimes complex issues affecting attendance that students face at home and at school, and be proactive in addressing these issues as early as possible. As Dr Kirsten Hancock highlights in her Churchill Fellowship report on student attendance, absenteeism is a symptom of an issue that requires support, but not the main problem itself.
The long-term declines and increase in the number of students affected show we need new ways of thinking about school attendance. This is a challenge for every state and territory government and requires a national response.
In New Zealand, for example, a national Attendance and Engagement Strategy launched in 2022 has elevated attendance as a priority issue for schools and how they work with families and communities. In the US, a reframing of education policy and a comprehensive research agenda has shifted the language and approach to chronic absenteeism.
Here in Australia, schools implement a range of approaches to support student attendance, however, there is limited knowledge of what’s happening on the ground or which strategies are most effective. Under the new National School Reform Agreement, we have an opportunity to drive innovation, learning and sharing of what works to improve attendance using evidence-based approaches.
But this isn’t a job for teachers and schools alone. We know from our work with 62,000 students on The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program that a fundamental part of supporting young people to succeed at school is the support provided outside school.
This not only includes financial support to ensure children have what they need for their education, but personal support for families, particularly those with complex needs, to navigate challenges that could impact school attendance and be connected with appropriate support services. More nuanced ways of using data will be key to identifying potential problems before they become entrenched.
If we want to prepare our young people for a bright future, schools, families and the wider community must work together to identify strategies that will work for all students, including those experiencing disadvantage. A national rethink in our approach is needed that reflects a modern understanding of attendance issues and provides support to students and families when they need it.
READ MORE:
Australia is failing the tens of thousands of children who aren’t enrolled in school
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