The road to no more children missing from education
This week I co-chaired a roundtable with the Minister of State for Schools where we were joined by representatives from leading local authorities and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) who are all working to identify children missing from education (CME) and get them back into education. Every child has a right to an education and yet every […]
Using data on previous absence to predict current absence
Last term I published Education history and attendance, which found that previous absence was a strong predictor of current absence. Among pupils who had previously been persistently absent, the rate of persistent absence in autumn and spring of academic year 2021-2022 was 51%, over three times higher than the rate of persistent absence among pupils […]
It’s important to listen to children this year
Almost 20 years ago, in 2004, the Children Act 2004 set out the Children’s Commissioner’s primary function: to promote and protect the rights of children in England, including promoting awareness of their views and interests. Since starting my post as Children’s Commissioner in March 2021 I have put children’s voices at the heart of everything […]
Children’s Voices: Views on family from students at Ark Boulton Academy
As part of my independent Family Review – a Review into contemporary family life commissioned by Government – I visited Ark Boulton Academy. I wanted to hear from looked after children and children in temporary housing their thoughts on what is good about family, what issues there might be and how they think Government should […]
Health: Annual roundup
‘How far does it have to get? Sometimes to you sit there and you think what do I have to actually do to get the support, how far do I have to go?’ – Girl, 15, in focus group. England’s children told me in The Big Ask, the largest ever survey of children with over […]
School: Annual roundup
I started this year setting out a bold plan for what England’s education system should be delivering for children. The Big Ask survey, the largest ever of children with over 550,000 responses demonstrated the extent of the aspirations held by this generation. So this year I have worked to imagine an education system which can […]
The Children’s Commissioner’s submission to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
‘The fact that some adults don’t believe in children’s rights, and we have those rights, so we need the Government to speak about rights for kids so that we have a life of some sort of freedom. And that we have respect for adults so adults should have at least some respect for kids around […]
New NHS Data shows school absence rates are higher in children with a probable mental health disorder
‘The lack of help with mental health has been the biggest thing that has stopped me and my friends from achieving what we want. It is difficult to access as we are not taken seriously, and when we are, waiting lists are so long’ – Girl, 17. In The Big Ask, the largest ever survey […]
How Help at Hand helps children get back into education
My recent reports on attendance and SEND have highlighted that despite the requirement that all children in care have a clear plan, including education, of how a local authority will best look after them and outlining the individuals with responsibility for the welfare of the young person, this does not happen every time. When it […]
What children need from an integrated alternative provision system
In The Big Ask, the largest survey of its kind in the world, over 500,000 children told me how much they love school.[i] They love learning. The pandemic re-set the relationship between children and school. After a tough two years of mainly online learning, children missed their teachers, their friends, their activities, and real classroom learning. […]
An integrated AP system designed by the children who use it
It has been my long-held belief that if we get education right, regardless of where a child lives, where they are in the country or what their additional need, we can help every child achieve their ambitions. In The Big Ask, children told me how much they loved school. In fact, school and education were […]
Out of sight, out of mind?
This year I have focused relentlessly on children’s right to education and addressing the severe evidence gaps across government concerning children missing from education. Every child has the right to receive a suitable education and yet thousands of children every year fall out of education and out of sight all together. Recently, the Centre for […]
Archived Content
What’s it like to be a child growing up with HIV?
There are 801 children living with HIV in the UK. The charity Children’s HIV association (CHIVA) works to ensure young people living with HIV have the knowledge, skills and support needed to live well and to achieve their greatest potential. To mark World AIDS Day on December 1st, we spoke to members of CHIVA’S youth committee about […]
Growing up North: Creating better outcomes for children and young people
Author: Cllr Judith Blake, Leeds City Council Our ambition is for Leeds to be the best city for children and young people to grow up in – a crucial element of Leeds City Council’s work to become the best city in the UK by 2030. Child Friendly Leeds is the thread that brings together all […]
Shining a light on the experiences of children excluded from schools and in alternative provision
My ‘Children’s Voices’ report looks at findings from an evidence review of the views, perspectives and experiences of children who have been or at risk of being excluded from school and children in alternative provision.
Letter from Anne Longfield to Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England
Over the last year, the issue most often raised with me has been children’s mental health, and it was the top of the list in my consultation with children about my priorities for this year.