Mental health is the main cause of rising absenteeism in England, say leaders School attendance and absenteeism

Children's mental health and anxiety are the biggest drivers behind the continued rise in school absences since the Covid pandemic, according to leaders who said the government's plan to increase fines for parents in England would make no difference.

Nearly nine out of 10 high school principals — including attendance officers tasked with dealing with truancy — said there had been a marked increase in students missing school over the past two years because of mental health problems.

Lorraine Yates, an assistant headteacher at the Astrea Academy Trust chain of schools in Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire, said children in years 9 and 10 faced the biggest challenges, "as they are the group of young people who were most disrupted by Covid and who were affected by the closure of Sure Start centers and children's centres.

"Throughout their childhood until the end of their school age, they have lost a lot. From what we are seeing in our academies, it has had an impact," she said.

Elaine Harper, of Leigh Academies Trust, which manages 31 schools in Kent, said: “There are far more absences related to mental health than anything else, such as term breaks and other typical causes of absences.

"Certainly, over the last 18 months we have seen that the economic situation has added to the shortage problem."

Last year, the Department for Education (DfE) classified 150,000 children in state schools in England as severely absent - missing more than half of their sessions - 150% more than the 60,000 who were severely absent in 2018-19. before the pandemic.

Findings in research shown to the Guardian by Bromcom, a management information system provider for schools, show that schools are adapting to the rise in mental health concerns, with some renaming the traditional medical or sick room as a 'room support for participation", to help. students return to lessons instead of being sent home.

Using data from the attendance program, some schools are monitoring which lessons and subjects make particular students feel anxious, so staff can anticipate and encourage them to return to class.

Feedback from 500 schools found parents had become "overly cautious" about keeping their children out of school, with some away for weeks instead of a day or two.

"Schools recognize that there will be genuine cases of students with anxiety, but they are not qualified to tell whether it is true," the report noted.

“A parent seeking a GP appointment might get a phone call if they're lucky; Overstretched physicians themselves may find it more appropriate to provide a diagnosis of anxiety. Where parents struggle to get an appointment, they often just keep their child out of school.”

Janice Bowling, of Greenshaw Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust with 30 schools in southern England, said there had also been an increase in parents willing to take term time off: "Post-Covid, the strong partnership between home and school has deteriorated significantly.

"[Parents] they will happily add four days to their bank holiday and know they won't be fined… Parents are honest now and many will openly admit they are willing to face the fight or endure the fines.”

However, more than three quarters of school leaders said the DfE's plan to increase fines on parents for taking their child out of school – from £20 to £80 – is unlikely to have any impact. "Combined with the financial hardship families face, the fine pales in comparison to the potential savings on less popular holidays," the report said.