Pupil absence: Questions for policy, for research and in practice

Can complex problems be resolved by simple remedies?

The interlocking factors that the Education Select Committee considered included the absence of appropriate school-based support for SEND, the difficulties children and families experience in accessing appropriate mental health services, and the impacts of COVID and the cost of living crisis on our most vulnerable communities. In this context they recommended support ahead of fines or prosecution as the best means of getting pupils back into school. But how well is the education system able to offer the support required? 

Join us to hear the panel discuss these issues and look for ways forward

Send in your questions for the panel by emailing edresprog@ucl.ac.uk

• Watch the video
• Read the IOE Blog: Rising school absence: What do we know and what can we do?

This 'What matters in education?' series is jointly organised by the UCL Institute of Education, Pro-Director Research and the ESRC Education Research Programme (ERP). It aims to create a space for a range of different voices to be heard, and to spark new thinking across education, social research and the wider social sciences on how research, policy and practice can most productively interact.   

Co-Chair: Professor Gemma Moss, Director, ESRC Education Research Programme, Professor of Literacy at the UCL Institute of Education, Faculty of Education and Society 

Co-Chair: Professor Lynn Ang, Pro-Director and Vice-Dean Research at the UCL Institute of Education, Faculty of Education and Society 

Moderator: Dr Becky Taylor, Academic Head of Engagement and Impact at the UCL Institute of Education