RT @JFColombia: Signature unions are @The_TUC, @GFTU1, @unisontheunion, @EquityUK, @NEUnion, @nasuwt, @GMB_union, @EISUnion, @POAUnion, @BF….

RT @cerysturner7: Pupil behaviour won't improve unless the government tackles school funding, @PatrickR_NASUWT has warned. The outgoing ge….

RT @LeighDay_Law: Human rights partner @RBraadshaaw is leading a claim with teachers' union @NASUWT on behalf of members who are unable to….

RT @APPGEducation: Delighted to be launching the APPG inquiry into the Loss of the Love of Learning. @switherdenMP wants to hear from all s….

RT @JMoses4NASUWT: @NASUWT General Secretary Patrick Roach starting off with a call to action for trade unionists and the labour movement.….

Members at Coventry School Foundation are taking strike action today over attempts to force them to choose between their pension and their pay. Teachers should not have to choose between being worse off now or worse off in the future. @NASUWTWestMids.

RT @rashidadin: What a honour to be invited to the Caribbean Teachers Union in Antigua. Met amazing colleagues and learnt about the advance….

RT @BBCEssex: 📕 Members of teachers union NASUWT at Gable Hall School have been involved in an ongoing dispute over workload and working pr….

Members at Gable Hall School in Essex have been locked out today for taking action to stand up against excessive workload. The employer should be focusing on working with us to address teachers' legitimate concerns rather than employing these bullying tactics.

RT @Prog_Change: 24 trade union leaders have written to @10DowningStreet expressing concern that Labour's manifesto commitment to "strength….

RT @JMoses4NASUWT: @NASUWT Delegation to #ETUCE2024 Conference in Montenegro. Speaking on matters such as AI, advocating for global peace;….

RT @SecEd_Education: Parent disengagement with education is driving a 'significant increase' in unauthorised pupil absence, which in turn i….

“We need for a national mission to tackle absence from school and to make regular school attendance the norm, not the exception, for all children and young people,” says @PatrickR_NASUWT. If you'd like to know more about our findings, drop us a line at press@mail.nasuwt.org.uk.

There's also a strong feeling that pupils aren't supported enough by external agencies. 64% of teachers said long waiting lists for pupils with mental health issues have an impact, along with cuts to external services (63%) and difficulty obtaining SEN assessments (35%).

Nearly a third of teachers (31%) said that they rarely get the help they need to encourage good attendance. Less than 10% said they 'always' get the support they need. Reasons cited included lack of parental engagement (78%) and lack of time (69%).

Unsurprisingly, teachers feel that persistent pupil absence is detrimental to pupils' development. 96% of teachers think that persistent absence contributes to a decline in academic achievement. 86% think it contributes to deterioration in relationships at school.

Unmet needs for pupils also play a role in rising levels of absence. 67% of teachers cited pupil mental health as a reason for absence, and 17.48% cited pupil poverty. 25% said pupils were absent due to difficulties in meeting their special educational needs.

70% of teachers surveyed felt that there is an increased willingness to keep young people out of school if they are ill. 67% of teachers have seen a rise in pupils absent due to holidays or family events.

What do teachers think is driving persistent pupil absence? . 74% said parental disengagement with the education system. Pupil disengagement with the system came in at 53%.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents said that unauthorised absences have increased significantly among the pupils they teach since 2020. More than nine in ten respondents said that dealing with persistent absence has increased their workload over the last two years.