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A recent study led by the University of Leeds revealed that children deemed “not school-ready” by their teachers are more than twice as likely to experience persistent absenteeism during their education. The research, conducted on 62,598 children aged 5-13 in the Bradford district, examined data from the academic years 2012-2013 to 2019-2020 to uncover the link between early childhood issues and school absenteeism.
The analysis by the School of Psychology and the Born in Bradford Centre for Applied Education Research discovered that 67% of all persistently absent students with attendance below 90% were labeled as ”not school-ready” upon entering reception. In contrast, only 37% of “not school-ready” children did not face persistent absenteeism.
The researchers emphasized that these findings, published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, highlight the importance of early intervention in identifying children at risk of long-term disengagement from the education system using existing school readiness assessments.
Dr. Megan Wood, the lead author and a post-doctoral research fellow in the School of Psychology, emphasized the critical role of school in children’s holistic development and expressed concerns about the rising trend of school absenteeism, particularly exacerbated by the recent pandemic.
In the UK, absenteeism poses a significant challenge for educators and policymakers, with data from the 2022-23 autumn term indicating that nearly a quarter of all students missed at least 39 half-day sessions, categorizing them as “persistent absentees” with attendance below 90%, according to the UK’s Department for Education.
2024-06-26 19:15:02
Original source: phys.org