School absenteeism is a sign that the curriculum may be letting children down | Letters

As a retired child psychotherapist, I am all too aware of the impact of mental health problems on school attendance. However, I was surprised by the emphasis placed on this in your article (Record numbers of pupils in England absent for long periods of time, DfE data shows, March 21). It was right to point out the link between eligibility for free school meals and non-attendance, but both the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders and the shadow schools minister highlighted mental health as a key factor in reducing absenteeism.

What was not mentioned was the impact on participation in the national curriculum and other forms of school pressure. For some children, the curriculum is not tailored to their needs and they consider it pointless. Before training as a child psychotherapist, I was a teacher and was very aware of the number of children who dropped out at the ages of 10 and 11. The feeling was that they were voting with their feet.

The article stated that concerns about absenteeism are “driven by evidence that students who are repeatedly absent achieve lower exam grades.” I wonder whether an emphasis on the whole child by the Department of Education, rather than a focus on exams or a rigid curriculum, could reduce absenteeism. There are many dedicated teachers who would like to see change.

Children who fail in school usually blame themselves, and perhaps the desire to escape the pressure is not surprising.
Chris Parker
Wirksworth, Derbyshire

Your report on the increasing number of young people who are absent from education for long periods will rightly concern many. However, I wonder if a factor not mentioned here is worth considering: that young people may not feel that education is sufficiently relevant or interesting. Perhaps education as it is currently designed has no value for them?
Simon Gibbs
Emeritus Professor of Inclusive Educational Psychology and Philosophy, University of Newcastle