From attendance tsars to ‘every moment matters’ campaigns, even those outside of the education sector can’t be immune to the volume of media coverage on the school attendance ‘issue’ and the initiatives being churned out to tackle the ‘problem’. It isn’t unusual for me to think ‘just look at early years’, but on this occasion, I want to scream it from the rooftops. Learn from us.
I know there are glaringly obvious differences between school and the early education sector. Even with our differences, though, I’m still convinced there is something to be learnt from our approach.
We know there has been a rise in adverse childhood mental health, in special educational needs diagnoses and school-related anxiety. Instead of diving straight into command and control and issuing fines, how about looking at these children’s contexts. Childhoods disrupted by the pandemic, lack of prompt access to health and support services, and a primary education system that has become increasingly rigid, increasingly controlling.
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